After Kash Patel was appointed as the director of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the parents of former OpenAI researcher turned whistleblower Suchir Balaji are now hopeful that the FBI will re-open the closed case of mysterious death of Balaji. Patel, considered close to Donald Trump, has promised include transparency, accountability and commitment to justice to FBI in his tenure.
Right after Patel was appointed as the director of FBI on Friday, various netizens started demanding his attention towards the death of Balaji, who vehemently opposed the copyright policies of his former employer OpenAI- the creators of ChatGPT.
26-year-old Suchir Balaji, an Indian American and former researcher with OpenAI, was found dead in his apartment in San Francisco in November last year, under mysterious circumstances. After months of protests by Balaji’s parents, who alleged foul play in his death, the local police department had closed the case recently, terming his death as a “suicide” by a “single shot gun inflicted wound.”
Balaji’s parents have dismissed the final autopsy report of Balaji and local police department of San Francisco closing the investigation regarding his death. Balaji’s mother Poornima Rao has been protesting for the past few months, demanding justice for her deceased son.
Right after his appointment, Patel released a statement on X, promising a new dawn for the FBI under Trump’s regime.
The American people deserve an FBI that is transparent, accountable, and committed to justice. The politicalization of our justice system has eroded public trust—but that ends today. My mission as Director is clear: let good cops be cops—and rebuild trust in the FBI,” said Patel.
Balaji’s parents had demanded an FBI investigation into the case after receiving a letter from San Francisco police, where it was mentioned, “ There’s insufficient evidence to find Mr. Balaji’s death was the result of homicide” They also declared the exact cause of death showing as “self inflicted gunshot wound “
According to US law, the FBI may assume control of cases that belong to federal jurisdiction either when a federal offense appears present or when evidence reveals corruption or improper conduct by local authorities. Local authorities must either drop their case or become unable to continue their examination before the FBI steps in. The combination of Balaji’s influential background and his whistle-blowing work presents grounds for federal agency involvement because his family members continue lodging demands for justice.
There is hope among the public about FBI director Kash Patel’s leadership because it may lead to increased focus on cases resembling Suchir Balaji’s. His parents maintain their quest for answers alongside the optimistic backing of FBI leadership who recently took charge.
Also Read: Portrait of a Whistleblower: Suchir Warned Us About Perils of AI
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