A day after the renowned art director Nitin Desai was found dead, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ashish Shelar on Friday urged the government to investigate not only the death of the art director but also the `person` behind Edelweiss ARC chairman Rashesh Shah.

“A Marathi Manoos, with available resources in the market, took a loan through a legal process, but were there attempts to bring him in trouble by misusing the law? Until yesterday, I had two more such cases against Rashesh Shah and ARC Edelweiss company. But since yesterday, I have come across a few more cases where both Shah and ARC Edelweiss inappropriately used legal procedures and set up a modern-day money lending business. Hence, their purpose also needs to be investigated. Additionally, it must be looked into whether their sole purpose was to try and take over the studio created by a Marathi Manoos,” said Shelar.

Ashish Shelar, who is also the Mumbai BJP president, further demanded that the government should also look into whether anyone else was trying to buy the studio from Rashesh Shah and whether Nitin Desai was pressurized at the request of that customer.

“The government must also find out the `person` behind Rashesh Shah. I will pursue this matter till the end,” said Ashish Shelar.

Yesterday, Ashish Shelar, through a point of order in the assembly, demanded that Desai’s death should not be treated as a case of accidental death only but must be dealt with from a larger perspective.

Desai made a name for himself in the field of art direction with his sheer talent and accomplishments, the BJP MLA said.

“It is tragic that the winner of four National Awards had to end his life in this manner. He had taken a loan of Rs 180 crore for the N D Studio, which rose to Rs 252 crore. This brings forward the functioning of the lending system by Rashesh Shah and Edelweiss ARC company,” Shelar alleged.

Hence, this case must not be investigated only as an accidental death; a special team must be deployed to investigate the interest rate levied, the rate at which this interest escalates every year, the recovery methods deployed by this company, and many such issues, he added.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that the role of a private lending firm, from which Desai had taken a loan, would be probed to know whether he was charged a high interest rate and if he was under mental stress.

Speaking in the state legislative assembly, Fadnavis, who holds the home department, also said that legal aspects on how Desai’s N D Studio at Karjat near Mumbai can be preserved or taken over by the government will be examined.

Desai, the creator of lavish sets for films such as “Jodhaa Akbar” and “Lagaan” as well as the popular TV quiz show “Kaun Banega Crorepati,” was found hanging at his studio on Wednesday. Police said it seemed to be a case of suicide and added that the matter was being investigated from all angles.

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