TV Actress Dies By Suicide; Cousin Draws Parallels With Sushant Singh Rajput Case

Mumbai: Noted television actress Sanchita Ugale, best known for her roles in the popular shows Kumkum Bhagya and Wagle Ki Duniya, died by suicide at her residence in Nalasopara on Sunday evening. She was 22.

According to police, Sanchita was found dead at her home in the Nalasopara area on Sunday evening while she was alone. Sanchita had locked herself inside her bedroom and allegedly hanged herself from a ceiling fan using a saree between 7 pm and 7:30 pm. Family members and local residents rushed her to the Vasai-Virar Municipal Hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.

“A police team inspected the scene immediately after being alerted about the incident. We did not find anything suspicious at the spot, and no suicide note was recovered,” said a police official.

However, following the incident, Sanchita’s cousin, Akash Ugale, leveled serious allegations regarding industry pressure and threats, citing a suspicious Instagram account. He has requested a high-level investigation into the case, comparing the circumstances surrounding her death to those of the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Akash claimed that both his sister and Sushant were facing immense pressure from the industry, which led them to take a drastic step. Not just that, they happened to pass away on the same date, 6 years apart.

He pointed out that the last post on Sanchita Ugale’s social media handle was about Sushant Singh Rajput. She had posted an Instagram reel in which it was written – ‘It’s again 14 June,’ remembering Sushant on his death anniversary on Sunday.

“He (Sushant) committed suicide on 14th June 2020. Why? Because Bollywood, this industry, put a lot of pressure on him, and because of that pressure, he committed suicide. In the same way, yesterday my sister also committed suicide for the same reason, that’s what I’m saying,” said Akash.

Sushant was found dead in his Mumbai apartment on 14 June 2020. As per the postmortem report, he died of asphyxia due to hanging,

Sanchita had gained recognition for portraying Diya Tandon in Zee TV’s long-running show Kumkum Bhagya. Apart from Kumkum Bhagya, she was also seen as Ruchita Jaitley in Wagle Ki Duniya.

Sanchita also appeared in films and digital projects. She portrayed the younger version of Tara Rani in the Vicky Kaushal-starrer Chhaava. She was also part of Silence 2: The Night Owl Bar Shootout, featuring Manoj Bajpayee.