Really, it’s shocking to hear that AIIMS doctor was asked to give a false report in Sunanda Pushkar’s death case. The head of the forensics department at All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has stirred the hornet’s nest by claiming that he was pressured into giving a tailor-made report in the Sunanda Tharoor’s death case. Sunanda Tharoor, wife of the-then Union Minister Shashi Tharoor, was found dead in suite 345 of south Delhi’s Leela hotel on January 17 this year. Her body was reportedly found by Tharoor at around 8pm, when he returned to the hotel after attending a meeting of the All India Congress Committee. Dr. Sudhir Gupta, who headed the team of forensic experts that conducted the postmortem, has written to the health ministry and the chief vigilance commission complaining that he was pressured by top officials to show it was a “natural death”. Gupta has claimed that he is now being targeted because he did not bow to the pressure and gave a report stating that Sunanda’s death was caused by drug poisoning that could be both suicidal and homicidal.
No one exactly knows the reason, but everyone has his own speculation and logic about her death. Her death came within 48 hours of her going public about her husband’s alleged affair with a Pakistani journalist, raising suspicions of suicide, although no note has been found. The tragic end came even as Twitter was buzzing about the public display of anger, betrayal and accusations involving Tharoor, Sunanda and Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar. There were reports that Sunanda is asking for divorce. She then rocked social media constantly for two days and finally she was found dead in the hotel room. Senior journalists are claiming that she called them before the tragedy and wanted to expose her husband, but none of these journalists ‘on the humanitarian grounds’ went to solace her, even after knowing the level of her depression.
There was a turmoil in Tharoor’s life. However, there is no evidence of it. Tharoor moved on in life, he is innocent till proven guilty, but to prove that guilt, investigations need to go in the right direction. So far, there is no development on Pushkar’s death, and media is also silent on such brutal issue.
Many opposition leaders then claimed that the sudden death of Sunanda Pushkar seems to be a case of pre-planned murder. The injury marks on her body and the way this case unfolded, it seemed to be a well-planned murder. She might be threat to Shashi Tharoor’s Union Ministerial berth. There was no case registered against Shashi Tharoor under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act. According to AIIMS sources, the governing body of the hospital had recently approved a proposal to promote another doctor from the forensics department retrospectively and Gupta feared that he could be replaced as the head of the department. He has also filed a complaint with the central administrative tribunal in this regard. It is wrong on a doctor’s part to relent from his duty and present a biased statement, besides, giving a chance to the culprit to escape. There should be thorough investigation in this case and the truth should come out in public.
However, within few hours of Subramanian Swamy’s allegation, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan asked the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to provide detailed report on allegations that the head of forensics department was forced to change the autopsy report of former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda Pushkar. Dr. Sudhir Gupta, who headed the team that conducted the autopsy of Pushkar, had alleged that he was forced by a UPA minister to alter the report. The doctor has also filed a complaint with the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in this regard. Harsh Vardhan seeks details on Sunanda’s autopsy, whereas doctor rules out manipulation. Here one can raise a question that why suddenly Dr. Sudhir Gupta raised the issue of Pushkar’s death? Is there any hidden agenda in it? And how Subramanian Swamy knows the secrets, if common man doesn’t know about it? He acts like he is an agent of some secret agency.
Sunanda was murdered after she revealed connections of Shashi Tharoor with an ISI agent. May be she knew more about it, but why our Intelligence Agency failed to find out what happened? This has to be thoroughly investigated. This case reminds that Delhi has become famous or infamous for forensic manipulations after the Talwar incident. Government should trace the phone calls and the details of conversation between Shashi Tharoor and Sunanda Pushkar and CBI should reveal it in public within a month. As the allegation is very critical and there is threat to National Security. Enquiry committee should be set up. If anything goes against present report then forensic doctor should also be made co-culprit in the murder crime. I can understand that Congress want to bury this case anyhow, but why BJP did not act swiftly in the matter? Still, truth can come out with the help of investigation. Hoping that, the current ruling government will do something in this regard.
