'Why are they being allowed to reduce Pratyusha's death to a tamasha?'

'Shame on those who are making mileage out of Pratyusha's death', says wrestling champion and former Bigg Boss contestant Sangram Singh.

Sangram Singh has just returned from a wrestling championship in South Africa to the news of his friend, Pratyusha Banerjee's death.

"I am sorry I wasn't here when this tragedy happened to her. When I returned, I could only attend her prayer meeting. I was very saddened to see her parents in the state they were in. No parent deserves to see their only child die. Pratyusha's mother reminded me of my own mother. A simple woman trying to understand what had happened to her child. It was heartbreaking," says Sangram emotionally.

Even more heartbreaking, he says, is the way a section of the television industry is trying to cash in on the tragedy.

Says Sangram angrily, "Who are these friends who are speaking to the press on her behalf? And why is the media entertaining their theatrics? A young girl who was starting out in life has died. Shame on all those people who are trying to make mileage out of this tragedy. Some are screaming, weeping and fainting. Someone (starlet Raakhi Sawant) takes a ceiling fan to the police station to tell the world to ban fans. Why are they being allowed to reduce this tragedy to a tamasha (farce)? There is one friend who genuinely cares about what happened and that is Kamya Punjabi. "

The biggest tragedy, says Sangram, is the one facing Pratyusha's parents. "They are simple people with a meagre income. Someone had to arrange flight tickets for them to come to Mumbai. They don't deserve this."

Sangram, who spent many weeks with Pratyusha in the Bigg Boss house, is still stunned by the news of her death. "The last I spoke to her was before she went into the reality show Power Couple. She was sounding very happy. She told me she wants to get married and settle down. I told her to be careful about the partner she chooses in life."

Says Sangram emotionally, "I knew Pratyusha very well. Of course we were in Bigg Boss together, but what the world saw was only a fraction of the time we actually spent together. I got to know her very well. Pratyusha was like a child. She would get upset one minute and sulk. The next minute, she would be happy and normal. She did not have a suicidal streak. I can't believe she would do this. I don't think she killed herself."

Sangram has a message for all the young people whose dreams don't come true immediately. "Have patience. Don't lose heart. There is much more to life than fame and fortune. If you are part of the entertainment industry, please remember it is temporary. Success and failure go hand in hand. Life is too precious to be squandered for fame or love."