Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s troubles are not over yet. Delhi Police intends to summon him again for questioning. A day after Shashi Tharoor was questioned by Delhi Police in connection of his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s mysterious death, Delhi Police Chief BS Bassi indicated that he could be examined again in a day or so.
Bassi also said that the former Union Minister was ‘cooperative’ during the questioning while maintaining that the objective was to get to the bottom of the truth for which Delhi Police will look into everything ‘relevant’ to the case, including the IPl angle. Sources in Delhi Police said Tharoor was pointedly asked about IPl controversy and other vital angles that have emerged during the ongoing investigations. Bassi noted that some more people will be called in as the process of investigation is on.
When asked about Monday’s questioning of 58-year-old Tharoor that lasted for around five hours, the Police Commissioner said, “We have spoken to him about the background. We have spoken to him about what happened on that day and certain things, which have been said otherwise in the media. They raise certain questions and we sought information on these issues as well.”
Asked about the further course of action of the Special Investigation Team in the case, he said that the SIT will analyse what Tharoor had told them and then take further action. On whether the SIT was looking into the IPl angle, he said, “Whatever has been said about IPl will be relevant and will definitely be asked about.”
Asked if Tharoor will be questioned again, Bassi said, “We will now analyse and then we will take a call.” When reporters inquired whether the Congress MP was being looked at as a witness by the police, he said that it was an open-ended questioning. He, however, stopped just short of conceding that there are no suspects in the case so far.
“We are examining issues with an open mind. We are trying to ascertain what happened — whether somebody is criminally liable and who that person is. So it is an open-ended,” Bassi said. Asked if that meant there are no suspects so far, he said, “So far there is nothing... But let us first complete the process. You know conclusion can’t be reached midway.”
Bassi also said that too much should not be read into the timing of the questioning. “I will not like to read too much about the timing. Since he was coming at 7 pm, we decided to question him in the evening,” he said. It was for the first time when Tharoor was questioned on the death of 52-year-old Sunanda by the SIT on Monday. He was earlier examined by the SDM who carried out the inquest proceeding in the case. She was found dead at a luxury hotel on January 17, last year.
The five-member Special Investigation Team comprising DCP (South) Prem Nath, Additional DCP PS Kushwah and three other officers carried out the questioning at the office of Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) in South Delhi’s Vasant Vihar area. Tharoor was issued a notice by SIT to join the investigation.