'I want Rahul to be hanged till death or to serve life imprisonment'

Deceased television actor Pratyusha Banerjee's parents, Shankar and Soma Banerjee, blamed her boyfriend Rahul Raj Singh for their daughter's death in a press conference on April 5.

A prayer meet for Pratyusha was held at a Mumbai gurudwara last evening. It was attended by her parents and close friends.

Pratyusha's parents met the media after the prayer meet.

"We didn't come before the media till now since we wanted all the rituals to be completed," said her grieving mother. "I want Rahul to be hanged till death or to serve life imprisonment so that no other girl meets the tragic fate of our daughter.

"Like any other girl, Pratyusha dreamt of getting married and having kids. She wanted to be around friends and enjoy the marriage rituals. But, lately, she realised she had met the wrong guy and lost her life," said her mother.

"Rahul claimed he had four flats, three cars and 150 acres of land. He told Pratyusha his mother is an MLA from Mandar Hill in Bhagalpur, Bihar, but we never found any truth in his statements," said the late actress's father

Pratushya's parents said their daughter was not out of work. "Rahul and his father used to handle Pratyusha's finances. Rahul would use her debit card. He had forced Pratyusha to cut herself off from her staff, from us and from her friends.

"She called us on the evening of March 31 evening, asking if I spoke to him. I don't even want to take his (Rahul's) name. I told her to live happily. That was our last conversation," said her mother before breaking down.

Pratushya's friend, producer Vikas Gupta, said she had come to know recently that Rahul had been married previously. "Apparently, he has a nine-year-old son. She wanted to get out of the relationship."

Meanwhile, Rahul Raj Singh's lawyer, Neeraj Gupta, has stepped away from the case, claiming his client had kept him in the dark about certain facts. 

Image: Pratyusha Banerjee with her parents. Photograph: Pratyusha/Instagram