The final viscera report of Sunanda Pushkar, who died under mysterious circumstances two years ago, gives a clear impression that she died an unnatural death, Delhi Police said on Friday. The Delhi Police has received the AIIMS medical board’s report which analysed the findings of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The FBI endorsed the poisoning angle as earlier found by AIIMS, saying that a “dangerous chemical” was present in her body that may have killed her.
However, the FBI report has virtually ruled out polonium poisoning as the cause of death as radiation levels in the viscera samples were found to be within standard safety norms.
“The FBI’s report had said that radioactive levels were within acceptable range. Certain other chemical compounds were found by the FBI laboratory. The (AIIMS) medical board has given certain conclusions. We will investigate those,” Bassi said.
“The current investigation of the final viscera report submitted to the Delhi Police states that Sunanda Pushkar did not die a natural death…that is for certain. It was an unnatural death. It was unnatural as per our investigation till now and evidence collected so far,” Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi told reporters.
A senior Delhi Police officer told The Pioneer that Sunanda’s husband, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, will soon be summoned for questioning in the light of the medical board’s report. The probe will be revisited, the officer added.
Bassi said the high-profile case will be taken to its logical conclusion soon and all possible angles are being examined.
“Special Commissioner of Police (law and Order) Deepak Mishra is reviewing the progress of the case. Merit shall be ensured,” BS Bassi said on Twitter.
It may be recalled that 51-year-old Sunanda was found dead inside her suite at a five-star hotel in South Delhi on January 17, 2014, a day after she was involved in a spat with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar on Twitter over the latter’s alleged affair with Tharoor.
Sunanda’s viscera samples were sent to the FBI laboratory in Washington DC in February last year to determine the kind of poison that killed her after an AIIMS medical board identified poisoning as the reason behind her death, but did not mention any specific substance. There was speculation that Sunanda may have died as a result of radioactive poisoning.
In January last year, Delhi Police had registered a case of murder in connection with Sunanda’s death.
The investigators have so far conducted polygraph tests on six people, all prime witnesses in the case, including Tharoors’ domestic help Narayan Singh, driver Bajrangi and Sanjay Dewan, a close friend of the couple. Three others, including SK Sharma, Vikas Ahlawat and Sunil Takru, had undergone the polygraph test. The police team probing the case has so far questioned at least 15 people. Tharoor, his staff members and close friends were among those questioned by Delhi Police. Sunanda’s son Shiv Menon was questioned by the SIT on February 5 last year.