Sunanda’s death: police ordered to investigate cause of poisoning

mangaloretoday.com

New Delhi,Jan 21:  The Delhi Police has been ordered to determine whether the death of Sunanda Pushkar Tharoor was accidental, a suicide, or murder.

The inquiry into the death of Mrs Pushkar, the wife of union minister Shashi Tharoor, was ordered today by a Delhi magistrate, based on the autopsy that said the 52-year-old died of poisoning.

 

Doctors at Delhi’s AIIMS who conducted the post-mortem said that her death was "sudden and unnatural." The report also said that there were injuries on Mrs Tharoor’s body, but described these as small and ruled them out as the cause of her death.

Under law, a magisterial inquiry is automatic if a woman dies within seven years of marriage.

Mrs Tharoor was found dead in a luxury hotel in Delhi on Friday, days after she disclosed that she had uncovered evidence of her husband’s alleged affair with a Pakistani journalist, whom she targeted in a series of tweets.

However, a day after that, the Tharoors issued a statement that said they were happily married.

Police found used strips of anti-depressant drug alprazolam, commonly known as Alprax, from the Leela Palace hotel room where Mrs Tharoor was found dead in her bed. The medicine, used by people suffering from anxiety, sleep disorder and depression is available over the counter.

Mr Tharoor, who is the Junior Human Resource Development Minister, has called for a swift inquiry into the death of his wife, saying he was horrified to read speculative reports about their personal lives.

He testified before the magistrate leading an inquest into the death on Sunday.