Considering how late actress Pratyusha Banerjee’s close friends conducted a press conference, pledging their support to her and carrying on the fight till justice is done last year, their absence from a prayer meet on the occasion of her first death anniversary set tongues wagging.

Her co-star Shashank Vyas from Balika Vadhu, and close buddies like Vikas Gupta, Sara Khan, and others were panned for giving the prayer meet a miss. Clearing the air on the same, Shashank said, “I don’t have to tell the world what connection I had with Pratyusha, nor do I go about telling the press how much I miss her, and what charities I take part in as a mark of respect for her.  I was there at Kokilaben Hospital when her body was brought in. I was even present at Siddharth Hospital, where her post mortem was being conducted. I was there at her funeral. Attending her prayer meet will in no way prove how much she meant to me as a friend. People have no right to question me about why I wasn’t there.”

Vikas had pretty much the same opinion to offer. “I am very wary of making my emotions public. I really applaud what Kamya Punjabi did, but I deliberately kept away from the prayer meet, because I knew there would be media personnel. If there hadn’t been, I would have gone,” he shares.

Kamya on her part says, “Who am I to say anything on this? I don’t see who is with me. I have the courage to fight for justice for Pratyusha’s suicide case on my own, and I will do it. I went to the meet and I am going to be there for Pratyusha always. I haven’t told anyone how many times I met her parents. When I call someone my friend I mean it.”