Sunanda Pushkar's family suspects Shashi Tharoor's role in her death

A day after the controversy over the death of Sunanda Pushkar, the wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, took a new twist, her family on Friday said that it knew her death was planned.

New Delhi: A day after the controversy over the death of Sunanda Pushkar, the wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, took a new twist, her family on Friday claimed that it knew her death was planned.

In an exclusive conversation with Zee Media, Ashok Kumar, a cousin of Sunanda Pushkar, suspected Tharoor's involvement in the case.

When asked about the statement made by Sunanda’s son, from a previous marriage, dismissing the speculation of Tharoor's role in her death, Kumar said Shiv was scared to speak the truth.

Kumar also said that Pushkar was very upset about the closeness her husband shared with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar.

Sunanda could never commit suicide as she used to tell others how to lead their lives, Kumar added.

Earlier in the day, Kumar told a news agency that that the family knew it wasn't a natural death, but was planned.

Raising questions over Tharoor, Kumar asked why would the Congress leader go out for a meeting when his wife was unwell. Even CCTV cameras at hotel weren't working, Kumar pointed out.

Seeking justice for Pushkar, Kumar demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident.

"We already knew it wasn't a natural death. It was all planned and we had been asking for CBI's probe. We knew that day when they went to stay in the hotel, this was planned earlier. Why would he (Shashi Tharoor) go for a meeting when she wasn't feeling well? Even cameras weren't working in such a big hotel. It was all planned beforehand."

On Thursday, Pushkar's latest post-mortem report, submitted to AIIMS, was leaked, which claimed that she died due to "poisoning". Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi has, however, dismissed the report.

Bassi said the available forensic evidence is not conclusive.

"The forensic report at the moment is not conclusive, our inquest status in today's date is pending," Bassi told reporters here.

He further countered demands of the CBI probe into Pushkar's death, saying the Delhi police is competent enough to find the truth.

"We believe in the quest for truth and whatever is required in the quest for truth... We have been doing and will continue doing," Bassi said while answering a question about the role of the investigating officer.

"We are competent to carry out the probe...Inquest is pending...And whatever is required will be done," he added.

The revelation about the autopsy report came around 10 days after the post-mortem report of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) was submitted to the Delhi Police by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Pushkar, 52, was found dead in a mysterious condition in her room at a five-star hotel in south Delhi on January 17.

The leaked report said that the AIIMS medical board "had thoroughly pursued the various documents that were submitted to them by the investigating officers along with the post-mortem report and histopathology report of viscera after which it was concluded the cause of Pushkar's death is poisoning".

"Viscera are positive for ethyl alcohol, caffeine, acetaminophen and cotinine," it said.

The report also revealed that the medical report reserved comment on the specific poison or chemical responsible since there was a lot of limitations on the viscera report.

"The duration of injuries have been opined already. However, the reason of these physical injuries, circumstantial evidences and statements have not been submitted by the investigative officer," the report states.

Speaking on the matter Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat told a news agency: "Under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the inquest proceeding in the Sundanda Pushkar case is still pending and we didn't add anything in it."

(With IANS inputs)