Mumbai, July 9, 2026
Actress and singer Suchitra Krishnamoorthi appeared to call out author Chetan Bhagat amid the ongoing debate surrounding the Lohagad Fort murder case.
Earlier, Suchitra, without naming anybody had lashed out on an ‘Indian author’ for allegedly trying to justify the accused Siya Goyal in the Lohagad murder case.
The actress has now responded to an X user who asked whether her reaction was aimed at author Shobhaa De, who had expressed views similar to Chetan Bhagat’s.
“Ma’am, by making a reference to an Indian author is it Shobha De being talked about here?”, asked the user.
To this, Suchitra replied, “No. It was Chetan Bhagat.”
The controversy erupted after Bhagat shared his views on the case, suggesting that societal and parental pressure surrounding arranged marriages deserved discussion alongside the crime. His remarks drew criticism from many social media users, who accused him of attempting to ignore the alleged actions of the accused.
Joining the debate back then, Suchitra had taken took to her X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “Appalling to hear the Indian author defending/justifying Siya Goyal’s criminal behaviour by some so called cultural SME rubbish theory. An oppressed or scared normal person does not commit a pre-planned murder. Only a criminal mind can carry out such a heinous crime. As a society we need to get our facts right.”
Suchitra, earlier had also given a piece of her mind to another netizen who had stated how the crime wouldn’t have taken place, had the accussed couple were in America.
The user wrote, “If siya n Chetan were in America or Europe then easily then would have been living-in together….. No ketan w would get access to her, forget marriage…. Forced marriage is wrong.”
Rejecting the argument, Suchitra had replied, “No culture can justify criminal behaviour. Shame on you and everyone who is trying to justify such criminal behavior. She could have run away, she could have eloped, she could have filed a case against her family too to force her into marriage against her consent. But to pre-plan and push her fiancé to death off a cliff—that is the mind of a psychopath.”
For the uninitiated, the controversy follows after Chetan Bhagat had posted on social media urging people to examine the social circumstances surrounding the case first, instead of lashing out on the accused couple.
The case pertains to the death of Ketan Agarwal, who died after falling from Lohagad Fort during a trek on June 18.
What was initially believed to be an accident, later took a dramatic turn after investigators alleged that the incident had been planned by Ketan’s fiancee, Siya Goyal, along with her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary.
Both Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary have been arrested, and the investigation is currently underway.(Agency)
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