Investigation into Sunanda Pushkar death case took a fresh turn as Delhi Police approached a city court seeking lie detector test of three key witnesses, Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi said on Friday. Delhi Police has approached a city court for permission to carry out polygraph test on Narain Singh, domestic help of Sunanda’s husband and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, driver Bajrangi and family friend Sanjay Dewan. There’s also indication that around a dozen other witnesses may also be asked to undergo the examination. However Bassi denied commenting on whether Tharoor will also be subjected to polygraph test, saying that he would not like to “speculate”.
Bassi said that investigation is done as per an action plan and the investigating officer (IO) keeps reviewing his evidence and necessary actions are taken. “At this juncture we will not like to speculate (about Tharoor) but there is nothing to be read into this,” Bassi said. Tharoor has been questioned thrice in this case so far.
Bassi said investigators are waiting a report from Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to know about the kind of poison was found in Sunanda’s body. Her viscera samples were sent to the FBI lab in Washington in February this year after an AIIMS panel concluded that the poison cannot be detected in Indian labs. “We are yet to receive the report from FBI,” Bassi added.
Accusing the three of concealing “material facts”, the Delhi Police had moved a plea before a magistrate in the Patiala House Court on Wednesday seeking permission to conduct polygraph test on the three witnesses. The next hearing in the case is on May 20. Sources close to the investigation said that once polygraph test is conducted on these three persons, police are likely to seek similar screening of around a dozen witnesses in the case. In January this year, police claimed that Sunanda Pushkar (51) was poisoned, and registered a murder case against unknown persons. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the case.