Sinister scenes are due to be aired on BBC One this Monday as Nish Panesar is ready to punish his own son Vinny to teach him a lesson on loyalty. But could his exit be imminent?

Shiv Jalota could be on his way out of Albert Square as his EastEnders alter ego is in Nish Panesar’s firing line.

The Panesars have shown their knack for backstabbing and business affairs but when he found out his son Vinny was in cahoots with ex-wife Suki Panesar in an attempt to take over the family empire, a dying Nish Panesar turned his tactics towards the lad, determined to use him to hurt Suki after her affair with Eve Unwin, which led to their split.

Nish’s revenge has grown increasingly bitter in recent scenes of BBC One as the dying villain played by Navin Chowdhry decided to frame Vinny for money laundering, letting him take the fall for his own crimes.

Vinny, who has been keen to get his father’s approval for years, sees nothing sinister behind Nish’s idea of making him the face of the Panesar business empire, but Suki ( Balvinder Sopal ) knows her son is in grave danger.

Vinny has been desperate for Nish’s approval, but could it be his downfall? (Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)

But while his Walford character runs the risk of facing a brutal demise at the hands of his own father, actor Shiv Jalota’s fate in the London-based programme is a mystery, though recent spoilers confirmed he was due to flee Albert Square to escape Nish’s wrath. The soap star, who has played Vinny since late 2019, first sparked fears he could be on his way out of Albert Square when he shared a new project with his former EastEnders co-star, Milly Zero.

Shiv took to his Instagram account in early May to post a series of photos lifting the lid on his return to theatre. He could be seen alongside a string of other actors, including Milly aka Dotty Cotton on the soap, sporting a black sleeveless shirt as they starred in a showcase for Alt Productions at Brixton House.

“Back to the theatre roots and training that creative muscle with the most talented ensemble”, Shiv captioned at the time, but there was no mention of him leaving EastEnders. In July 2024, during an appearance on ITV ‘s This Morning, Shiv Jalota spoke of Vinny’s ordeal with Nish and Suki during a chat with Rochelle Humes and Dermot O’Leary. But, there again, no word relating to his potential departure was mentioned. The Daily Mirror has reached out to the BBC for clarification.

One exit may already be lined up as Navin Chowdhry aka Nish is said to have quit his role on the BBC soap. Lifting the lid on the character’s “impactful and dramatic” exit, a TV source said: “It’s not known if Nish will be killed off, even though his health is suffering, but expect the exit to be very impactful and dramatic.” Could he take Vinny down with him?