The mysterious case of Sunanda Pushkar’s death grew murkier on Thursday with senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and noted lawyer Subramanian Swamy claiming that the murder of former Union Minister and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s wife could be linked with money laundering in the Indian Premier League.
Swamy said that days before her death Pushkar had wanted to call a press conference to reveal certain details regarding IPL’s Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise. These revelations, he felt, could have hurt the interests of many high and mighty who then wanted her eliminated.
Swamy also said that he could file a petition seeking a probe by the Supreme Court into the Pushkar’s death.
“Sunanda Pushkar had said that she would expose IPL deals, Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra’s name would also have surfaced. Sunanda Pushkar was killed and there should be an inquiry into it by Supreme Court,” said Subramanian Swamy.
“I am going to file a petition in Sunanda Pushkar death probe by the end of July,” the BJP leader further added.
Refusing to comment on the controversy stirred by a senior AIIMS forensic doctor’s allegation that he was pressured to manipulate the post mortem report of his wife Sunanda Pushkar, Shashi Tharoor merely said that it was up to the investigators “to sort it out”.
“It is a process, we will leave it to investigators to sort out,” said Tharoor.
Asked what he would say on AIIMS’ forensic department’s head Dr. Sudhir Gupta’s allegations, Tharoor only said, “Nothing to say about anything about that person.”
Meanwhile, Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi said that they want that investigations in the case should be completed as soon as possible while reiterating that if needed they will examine Tharoor and Dr. Gupta.
“Delhi Police wants investigations in this case to be completed as soon as possible. If it is necessary, both Dr Gupta and Tharoor will be questioned,” said Bassi.
Asked if Delhi Police has given a clean chit to Tharoor in the case, Bassi said, “Once we completed our enquiry, we will only then know. And, for the time being, our investigation is on.”
On being asked if Tharoor has written a letter to him to expedite the probe, Bassi said he was, so far, not aware of it, adding that he has got to know about it through media reports.
Rejecting the charge of Dr. Gupta, who headed a three- member team that did the post mortem on the body of Tharoor’s wife Pushkar, who was found dead in mysterious circumstances in a hotel here in January this year, the AIIMS had said it “categorically denies” his claim.
AIIMS spokespersons Amit Gupta and Neerja Bhatla had yesterday said that there was no evidence that any pressure from outside was put on Dr. Gupta to alter the autopsy report.
Sunanda was found dead in suite 345 of south Delhi’s Leela hotel on January 17 this year. Her body was reportedly found by Tharoor around 8pm, when he returned to the hotel after attending a meeting of the All India Congress Committee.
