Did epilepsy lead to Nafisa's suicide?
While no one knows for sure why former Miss India Nafisa Joseph allegedly committed suicide on Thursday, friend and model Marc Robinson may have a possible explanation - epilepsy.
An eerie gloom has descended over Nafisa Joseph's B-301 apartment in Rajkamal Building in Versova, where the former Miss India hung herself on Thursday night.
A pink dupatta, which the model-turned-VJ allegedly used to commit suicide, dangles listlessly from the ceiling fan in her room - a stark reminder of the tragic chain of events that snuffed out Nafisa's life.
According to the Versova police, an altercation with her fiancé Gautam Khanduja led Nafisa to take the drastic step. The 25-year-old Joseph, a model, MTV video jockey, event hostess and animal rights activist, was found dead in her suburban Versova home late on Thursday.
Preliminary investigations show that Nafisa may have felt jilted in love. She was set to marry Khanduja - a dealer in automobile parts and a resident of Pali Hill, Bandra - on August 7 this year. While no one seems to know why Gautam broke off the engagement some two days back, Nafisa's friend and former supermodel Marc Robinson offers a possible explanation.
"Nafisa had a medical problem. She was suffering from epilepsy and that could be a reason why the engagement was called off. Though she was receiving treatment for the problem, I have personally seen Nafisa have fits and pass out backstage during some of my fashion shows," he claims.
It was definitely a medical condition and not simply fatigue, insists Marc. "It was most certainly a medical problem why she kept collapsing, not because she was exhausted. But I still find it hard to believe that an intelligent girl like her would commit suicide because a relationship didn't work out," he says.
Other well-wishers in the fashion fraternity are equally shocked.
"I am completely stunned by the news. She was such a happy-go-lucky person and it is difficult to comprehend why she would do something like this. I still can't imagine she's no more. I feel Nafisa would have taken the decision to end her life only when pushed to the brink," says model Walucha, Robinson's wife.
"It makes no sense at all. She looked so happy whenever we met. She had put on some weight and was glowing, a sure sign that someone is in love. It therefore baffles me what went wrong," she adds.
Marc agrees. According to him: "I've known Nafisa since 1997 and she appeared to be a very nice girl. She was certainly intelligent, having topped her class in Bangalore's Bishop Cotton School and then graduated with high grades from St Joseph College in the same city. I find it hard to believe that a girl as clear-headed as Nafisa would decide to commit suicide. We are still in a state of shock."
According to sources, Gautam who is already married, first met Nafisa at a nightclub a year ago. It appears the two had an altercation on Wednesday over his divorce papers, which led to Nafisa getting upset and this may have caused her to take the drastic step.
It's a theory that many in Nafisa's circle believe. Says Walucha, "Both Marc and myself were at the Nanavati Hospital yesterday night after hearing the news. She was engaged to Gautam and was about to marry him. But two days back her engagement was called off. It's possible that is why she resorted to such a step."
Walucha admits her friend always had trouble with her relationships and the latest debacle could have proved the final straw. "She never had much success with the men in her life. She was earlier seeing model Sameer Soni and before that she briefly dated Rahul Bose, the actor. She recently got engaged to Gautam who also happens to be a friend. That engagement also didn't work out. Nafisa had stopped partying and socialising except for work and we hardly met except at fashion shows and events where she was compeering. She kept mostly to herself and we never came to know what was troubling her," says Walucha.
Her husband throws some light on Nafisa's fiancé. "I've known Gautam for a long time now. We started our placement agency together and are great friends. He is a soft-spoken guy who is extremely cultured and I'm at a loss to explain what made his relationship with Nafisa turn sour," he says.
Ex-boyfriend Sameer too has been left aghast by Nafisa's untimely death. "I haven't met her for the last one year since we were both busy with our professional lives. But it's still difficult for me to come to terms with the fact that she's gone forever. She was one of the sweetest, most intelligent, forthcoming and jovial person I know," he gushes.
Nafisa's family hails from Bangalore. Her father arrived in Mumbai on Thursday night, police said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Amitabh Gupta said the family had told police it was "a case of suicide".
Versova police have registered a case under Section 174 (accidental death) of the Criminal Procedure Code. However, Gupta said, police are exploring all angles. "It is too early to comment any further."
(Source: HindustanTimes.com)
