Sunanda case: A mysterious death and endless theories

Police say Shashi Tharoor’s wife was poisoned but are yet to determine the exact nature of the substance and how it was administered.

It has been exactly a year since Congress leader’s Sashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead and even though police filed murder case this month, there has been no significant headway even as countless theories are doing the rounds.

While the police have confirmed that Pushkar was poisoned, they are yet to determine the exact nature of the poison or how it was administered to her.

Between February 18, to March 13, 2014, police received four reports from CFSL regarding the viscera and it was further sent to autopsy board for opinion but the nature of poison is still unknown.

On September 14 last year, the police were advised to send the viscera report abroad for testing the poison but it hasn’t been sent to date. Police commissioner BS Bassi told HT on Friday that the viscera sample would ‘soon’ be sent abroad.

In fact, in the past one year, Delhi Police formed two different Special Investigating Teams to probe the case. The first SIT of three officers was formed on ‘the written direction of joint CP (south-eastern range) on January 24, 2014’ while the present four-member second SIT was created again on a written order of the same officer on January 1, 2015. However, there is little headway in the case despite the two Special Investigating Teams comprising senior police officers from the south district.

Bassi said the SIT is competent and to assure an unbiased investigation, senior police officials including him are keeping a close watch on it.

The police had spoken to all persons connected to the case months before the FIR was registered.

Tharoor’s help Narayan Singh, who made some damning revelations about the couple’s marriage, was questioned twice in the month of November last year along with the couple’ family friend Sanjay Dewan, who has admitted to have been questioned thrice.

While everyone connected to the case has been asked to join investigation, Pushkar’s husband Tharoor, who would be the key to link missing dots in the case, is yet to be called for interrogation.

Bassi told reporters on Friday that he would be questioned soon.

Tharoor had come to the city on Sunday after undergoing an ayurvedic treatment in Kerala.

On the other hand, theories about her death ranged from suicide to accidental drug overdose until January when Delhi police commissioner told the media that it was a case of murder.