What exactly happened?
This article contains discussions surrounding domestic abuse, including coercive control, that some readers may find upsetting.
Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota) was shocked in tonight’s EastEnders (7th June), when he arrived home to find his father Nish (Navin Chowdhry) standing over the lifeless body of his mother Suki (Balvinder Sopal).
For weeks now, Suki and her secret soulmate, Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) have been plotting against Nish – and they found their moment when Eve overheard Nish planning a dodgy deal. When Nish left to attend the crucial meeting, Suki headed to a phone box and made a call to the local CID, reporting her husband to the police.
With Suki and Eve committed to leaving Walford together, Suki shared a veiled goodbye with Vinny, urging him to accept himself for who he is and not to worry about living up to his dad’s expectations. Just as Vinny began to wonder what was bothering an emotional Suki, Nish returned, revealing that he was lucky to be free as he’d learned that someone had called the police over his illegal activities.
Nish accused Vinny of being the one to betray him, as he knew all about the deal. As Nish furiously attacked their son, Suki stopped him by confessing that she was the one who reported him after Vinny gave her the details.
Suki explained that she didn’t love Nish, and she didn’t think she ever had. She went on to confront him for how his controlling, abusive behaviour had affected her for years, before Nish asked her if she was seeing someone else. With Vinny soon sent away, Nish turned even nastier and smashed a bottle in front of a scared Suki.
“You are my wife, and you will love me,” he said in sinister tones. “You’re mine and you always will be.”
Later, as Suki tried to clear up the mess, Nish asked her to sit down with him and he apologised for losing his temper. He went on to say that he understood things had changed between them after his decades away in prison. He urged her to give their marriage time, and added that he wouldn’t give up until she felt the same as him.
Nish then left to speak to Vinny, and Suki called Eve. At The Vic, Nish apologised for attacking Vinny and suggested a fresh start as a family. At the house, Suki explained to Eve how their plan had gone wrong and told her she would rather die than stay with Nish, so they were leaving as soon as possible.
But when Vinny got home, he found Nish standing over an unconscious Suki, who appeared to have fallen down the stairs. Did he try to kill his wife?
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can visit Refuge for more information and contact 0808 2000 247 for support. Help can also be found at The Hideout.
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