BJP neta & TikTok star Sonali Phogat dies in Goa, a case of unnatural death filed

Director general of police (DGP) Jaspal Singh told TOI: “Phogat had gone to Curlies, a beach shack, at Anjuna where she complained about uneasiness and later she came to the hotel. Through the initial investigation we did not find any foul play.”

The National Commission for Women has taken cognisance and constituted a two member fact-finding team to look into the matter. Her sister Sudesh Devi claimed that Sonali Phogat had spoken to their mother hours before her death and said something was being mixed in her food which was affecting her health.

“Mere pe kuchh saazish ho rahi hai (A conspiracy is afoot against me),” Sonali is said to have told her mother.

Hours before her demise, Sonali Phogat had posted some pictures and videos on Instagram flashing a pink dupatta. Haryana state Congress committee spokesperson Bajrang Garg said the government should order a CBI probe.

Phogat ran a strong campaign often grabbing headlines during the 2019 Haryana poll.

During canvassing she was also involved in a controversy over “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” chants. She was pitted against Congress’ Kuldeep Bishnoi, the son of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal. The seat was a family pocket-borough.

BJP had never won Adampur. And it remained that way. Phogat lost by nearly 30,000 votes. But the social media star, who earned many followers lipsyncing Bollywood chartbusters such as ‘Kya dekhte ho surat tumhari’ (film: Qurbani), got her reward when she was selected as one of the contestants for Bigg Boss 14 in 2020.

Phogat had lost her husband Sanjay in December 2016, when he was found dead at his farm house near Hisar. She joined BJP about 15 years ago and was made vice-president of Haryana Mahila Morcha in 2019.

Sonali Phogat got interested in politics after meeting veteran BJP politician Sumitra Mahajan. “She told me about BJP, how the party functions. I was inspired by ‘rashtriya bhavna’ (nationalist feeling) and the way she did her work. Besides, BJP also respects women,” Phogat told TOI in 2019.

In June 2020, she was caught on camera thrashing a mandi board officer with slippers for allegedly passing a “comment” on her. She was arrested after a case was registered against her for the act, but released on bail.

Sonali Phogat’s family members arrived in Goa on Tuesday evening, sources said. Police said she had come to Goa with her manager and a friend on Monday evening and was staying at a hotel at Vagator.

Sonali Phogat had come to check out some locations for the shooting of a web series, they said. As per the police, Sonali complained of uneasiness on Tuesday morning but when her friend and her manager both advised her to go to a hospital, she declined.

Soon after, police said, she fell unconscious and was rushed to a hospital at Anjuna, where she was declared brought dead.