Exclusive - Manmeet Grewal suicide: Friend Manjit Singh, says 'People were busy shooting videos and they refused to help fearing he had #COVID’

Aadat Se Majboor show fame Manmeet Grewal, 32, committed suicide at his Kharghar residence on Friday night (May 15). This news has shocked his family and colleagues. His wife told police that Manmeet was under stress as he had unpaid dues and no work. The actor had starred in serials such as Aadat Se Majboor and Kuldeepak. In an exclusive conversation with ETimes TV, Manmeet’s friend Manjit made a few shocking revelations. Read on: (By: Vijaya Tiwari)

I stay at Goregaon. Manmeet and I used to stay together earlier but after his wedding he shifted to Kharghar with his wife. We were like brothers and I was also there in his wedding. We have been friends for the last 6 years and he was not just a friend, he was my family. Whenever his parents visited Mumbai they stayed at my place also. I am shattered and heartbroken, our names were also similar. He was Manmeet and I am Manjit. We worked together on so many projects and we recently made a movie also. We had a small production house where he looked after the casting part. Everything was going great, I don't know why he did this. I visited him in Kharghar also whenever he was in trouble or just to meet him. I don't know what stuck him, he hung himself from a ceiling fan on May 15 at night.

I spoke to him at 5 PM in the evening, he seemed fine. He did not sound worried, in fact he would share all his worries and problems with me. We just made a movie also which is complete and I had taken money on loan for it, but he had nothing to do with that loan. The film is ready and we would discuss it. Obviously, he discussed worries like there was no work due to the lockdown, he had no money to pay the rent of his house. It was outstanding for the last two months and there was no money for daily expenses. He was a very happy-go-lucky person. He used to do stand-up comedy and make everyone laugh with his hilarious jokes. He kept everyone happy. He always tackled all the problems with a smile.

I got to know that his mother had called him four days ago to inform him that his friend in his village committed suicide by hanging himself. And that friend was also going through financial problems. Manmeet and he had been to a foreign trip and they had taken money on loan for it and he was unable to repay it. I don't know if that stayed in his mind and he was depressed about it. Manmeet was also under stress because of work as one of our web series which we were making had come to a standstill due to lockdown. We had done casting for it. And then few of his Ad commercials which were in the pipeline got cancelled due to COVID-19 scare. So, he was facing financial problems and was depressed. In fact, they were planning to shift to Punjab as he had no work and he knew things were not going to get better anytime soon. Manmeet would tell his wife that he is not able to keep her happy and was feeling helpless that he was facing financial crunch.

On May 15th night between 10:30-11 Manmeet's wife (didi) called me and she said that he had hung himself from the ceiling fan. I called up many people who would reach there faster than me to help her, and who stayed closer to their house, but no one was available. So, I took my bike and around 1:30 in the night I reached here. When I arrived, police was already carrying out their investigation.

He looked very normal that evening, he made chutney for the dinner and then went to his room and suddenly locked it from inside. His wife, who was in the kitchen heard the noise of a chair falling and she rushed towards the bedroom and held him. She started screaming for help and even her neighbour friend who was also there started calling people to help them. The neighbours arrived upon hearing the noise but no one came forward to help or get him down. He had hung himself with a dupatta and you know in Mumbai we don't have such big houses. He had kept a chair on the bed and climbed up to hang himself. While his wife was holding him, no one came forward to help her and were not ready to touch him or cut the dupatta. They feared that he would be suffering from Corona. She kept telling them he was not COVID-19 positive, but no one believed. In fact, everyone was busy making videos. Then finally a person came and he cut the dupatta and took him down. It was almost after two and half hours, the ambulance came to take his body. Even when the doctor came he asked his wife to pump with both her hands on his chest. He did not touch him at that point. God knows if someone would have helped his wife when she was calling for help and holding him, we would have saved his life. Who knows if he was alive then. It is the most disturbing part that people were shooting videos.

The people from the Kharghar Gurudwara came forward to help us. The main person of the Gurudwara sent his own car and he helped us with the police station, hospital and even during the last rites. They touched Manmeet's body and helped us during the last rites. They were not scared of getting Corona infected like others, they did not bother at all. They helped Didi (Manmeet's wife) and me a lot and even helped us in getting the body after postmortem.

They were very happy together. Their parents were also happy, they belonged to the same culture and background. His wife used to also support him, she ran a beauty parlour but because of this pandemic crisis even that was shut. She is a very self-dependent lady and in fact, we three considered each other our family. I am currently staying here with Didi because she is all alone here. Manmeet's parents are also not able to travel because of the lockdown. We did the last rites yesterday (May 16). We couldn't send Manmeet's body also so we did the last rites on video call in with his parents and a few relatives. I am just waiting here, till the time she doesn't go back to her hometown. I am staying here because right now his wife is also emotionally dsturbed and I don't want her to take any wrong step because you never know.

Yes, many of them have called to offer help. Some of them who were in touch with me and known both of us called me to say that they are there if Manmeet's family needs help. Aadat Se Majboor Producers also called up to say that they are there to help us.