Sheezan Khan's family denies love jihad allegations in Tunisha Sharma case; says 'he is being tortured in jail'

Actor Sheezan Khan’s family held a press conference in Mumbai on Monday morning where they addressed the allegations against the actor by the family of his ex-girlfriend Tunisha Sharma, who died last week. Sheezan is currently in police custody in the investigation of Tunisha’s alleged suicide. Her family has claimed Sheezan hit her, abetted her suicide and also has alleged a love jihad angle in the case.

On Monday morning, Sheezan’s mother and sisters – actresses Shafaq Naaz and Falaq Naaz – held a press conference in Mumbai where they addressed these charges and also made a bold claim that the actor is being ‘tortured in jail’. While the family did not elaborate on how Sheezan is being tortured, they did emphasize that they, too, ‘want justice for Tunisha’.

Tunisha Sharma, 20, died last Saturday on the sets of her show Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul. The police ruled it a suicide. Sheezan was arrested the following day after Tunisha’s mother alleged abetment. Addressing Tunisha’s family’s charges, Sheezan’s family told the media that the charges were baseless and allegations of love jihad and black magic were ‘sad’. They also denied allegations that Sheezan is a drug user or that he was abusive towards Tunisha.

The family also addressed the love jihad allegations made by Tunisha’s mother and her uncle in the last few days. A picture of Tunisha wearing a hijab was circulating on the internet, with many sharing it as ‘proof’ of the love jihad claims. Sheezan’s family says she wore the garment for shooting and did not wear it in her personal life. They also denied allegations that Sheezan was forcing or encouraging her to wear hijab or convert to Islam.

Tunisha and Sheezan worked together on Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul and were in a relationship. They broke up 15 days before her suicide. The police investigation has found that Tunisha was severely stressed about their separation. Sheezan’s family has said that the break up was public knowledge.