‘Sunita is my working partner, not my girlfriend’:Baba Raja breaks silence after 3 days; says she fired in self-defense

Four days after the sensational June 11 shooting at Parsamania Garhi, the residence of the Nagod royal family in Satna district, Rupendra Singh alias Baba Raja, has spoken to the media for the first time. Blaming his in-laws for the incident, he claimed that he was assaulted and that his working partner, Sunita Singh, fired in self-defense. Rejecting allegations made by his wife, Yogita Singh’s mother, Baba Raja identified Sunita as his business associate. In a conversation with Dainik Bhaskar, Baba Raja detailed the incident and the controversies surrounding it. Here are the key excerpts from the interview. Reporter: What exactly happened at Parsamania Garhi on June 11? Baba Raja: Around 3:30 PM, I was sitting on the fort’s porch supervising farmhouse work when my wife Yogita, my son, my elder brother-in-law and 2-4 others arrived, abusing me. I asked them to sit and talk, but they pushed me. My head hit a table, my glasses broke and my vision blurred. My elder brother-in-law then dragged me into the corridor and beat me. I even asked my son to talk, but they continued abusing and assaulting me. Family photo frames and a chandelier were thrown at me, causing multiple injuries from broken glass. I never imagined my own family would do this. Reporter: How did Sunita Singh end up firing? Baba Raja: Sunita is the manager and working partner at my petrol pump. She was inside the house having lunch and came out after hearing the commotion. I told her to go back inside. She locked herself in another section, but she, too, was abused and threatened. Meanwhile, my elder brother-in-law struck me on the head with my grandfather’s thick glass photo frame, causing bleeding and further blurring my vision. Sunita warned that if the assault did not stop, she would fire in self-defense and to protect me. She fired 3-4 shots at a wall to scare them. One bullet ricocheted and struck my wife, Yogita in the stomach. She had no intention of killing anyone. Reporter: What happened after the shooting? Baba Raja: As soon as the bullet hit, there was chaos. People took Yogita away. Which hospitals was she taken to? How was the treatment done? I don’t have this information. Reporter: Your mother-in-law claims she saw the entire incident? Baba Raja: The statements my mother-in-law is giving in the media are completely false. I don’t understand which eyes she saw it with, because neither she nor my father-in-law were inside the campus at the time of the incident. Therefore, her allegations have no basis. Reporter: What is the real reason for the dispute between you and Yogita Singh? Baba Raja: Only she can tell the real reason for this. I don’t see any concrete reason. From their side, only one name is always mentioned, Sunita Singh, whereas Sunita works with me. She is involved in our NGO and other works. She has invested in several projects. That’s why she stays with me. Reporter: Many things are being said about your relationship with Sunita Singh. What would you like to say? Baba Raja: For some days now, it has been observed that some people are calling her my second wife. Some are calling her a girlfriend. This is an indecent remark towards a woman. I want to tell society and the media that one should know the reality before jumping to any conclusion. Sunita is my working partner. I don’t want to say anything more on this subject. It is to be noted that on June 11, it was reported that Yogita Singh, daughter-in-law of the Nagaud royal family, was shot at Parsamaniya Garhi. She was admitted in serious condition to Vindhya Multi Specialty Hospital in Rewa. A woman named Sunita Parihar is accused of firing. Police have arrested her.