Actress Rashmirekha Ojha Found Dead in Her Home

By John Connor Coulston

Another tragic death in the entertainment industry has occurred in India. Actress Rashmirekha Ojha was found dead in the home she rented in the Nayapalli neighborhood of Bhubaneswar, India, on Saturday. She was 23. Per The Hindustan Times (citing newswire PTI), police are currently investigating her cause of death, but initial signs point toward suicide. However, her family is already questioning that assumption.

Police have classified the death as "a case of unnatural death." An unnamed senior police official gave a statement saying, "The police are waiting for her post-mortem report to arrive. Prima facie, it seems to be a case of suicide as she left behind a note stating that no one was responsible for her death." Per Sambad, Ojha, an actress on the Odia-language TV show Kemiti Kahibi Kaha, was allegedly found hanging from a ceiling fan at her residence.

The tragedy has stirred up a bit of a media frenzy in India, due to some of the more salacious details being thrown around about Ojha's passing. The main source of this frenzy is Ojha's dad, who is not named in media reports. Despite the initial police findings, he accused his daughter's partner, Santosh Patra, of killing her.

"We had telephoned her on Saturday evening but she didn't receive the calls. Later, Santosh informed us about her death. We came to know from the landlord of the house that Santosh and Rashmi were living as a married couple. We have no idea about her marriage," Ojha's father said, per Sambad. "Santosh has murdered my daughter. He should be arrested and sent to jail."

Details of the alleged suicide note have also been released, with the note partially translating into a message to Patra. "I Love You, San," the note reads. "I don't want to leave you. Forget me. Stay happy. I am a bad girl." There was also a passage said to be directed at Ojha's father in which the soap opera star assures him that Patra was not involved in her death. It reads: "I won't spare anyone if anything happens to Santosh."

Police are questioning Patra as part of the investigation, but they are also talking to Ojha's ex-boyfriend, Raja. Raja has been roped into the matter due to his name being tattooed on the actress' hand. There is also a recording of an alleged argument between Ojha and Patra being shared around social media in which the couple brings up Raja. In a TV interview, Raja revealed he and Ojha had once intended to marry one another but had not communicated in the past six months.

"We met a year ago and came to know each other. She was a good friend of mine. We were in touch with each other over phone. On her birthday, she had tattooed my name on her hand," he told Kanak News, as translated by Sambad. "Discussion regarding the marriage was going on between our family members. However, her family members had expressed their inability to take the discussion further citing personal reasons."

If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

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