Centre mulls CBI probe into Sunanda Pushkar's death

The Centre is considering a CBI probe into the death of former Union minister Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar after some of her family members sought such a move and the Delhi Police failed to make any headway into the matter even after five months.

Delhi Police commissioner BS Bassi met home minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday to brief him on the progress in the case amidst allegations levelled by a senior doctor at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences ( AIIMS) that he had been "pressurized" to change the autopsy report on Pushkar's death but that he had not done so.

Sources say Singh asked Bassi to conclude the investigation speedily. In the absence of any breakthrough within a fortnight, the probe may be shifted to CBI. Pushkar’s cousin Ashok Kumar Bhat demanded a CBI inquiry on Wednesday. BJP had also asked for this in March.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, meanwhile, plans to approach a court for a court-monitored probe. Tharoor also issued a statement saying he had always wanted an expeditious probe.

"Upon the tragic loss of my wife Sunanda and from the very beginning, I have requested for a thorough investigation by the authorities to be conducted and concluded rapidly and transparently. The Pushkar family has taken the same view and we have all fully co-operated with the authorities. I reiterate my request to bring this protracted inquiry to a clear and definitive conclusion at the earliest, so as to put all speculation to rest," Tharoor said in a statement.

The Delhi Police has so far filed no FIR in the matter so far, saying that the forensic reports do not indicate anything conclusively. Tharoor is still to be questioned too.

The latest controversy broke out after the head of forensic medicine at AIIMS, Dr Sudhir Gupta, said in a letter to health minister Harsh Vardhan that there was a "mala fide" move to oust him from his post as he had taken a "professional and ethical" stand which went against "vested interests" in the Pushkar case.

Gupta's report had termed the death as an unnatural one and police has since been probing whether is a case of homicide or suicide. The post-mortem report mentioned more than a dozen injury marks on Pushkar's hands and an abrasion on her cheek which suggested the "use of blunt force", besides a "deep tooth bite" on the edge of her left palm. AIIMS has strongly rejected Gupta’s allegations.

"There is no evidence that any pressure from outside was put on him (Sudhir Gupta) to alter the autopsy report," an AIIMS spokesperson said. Cautioning "one and all against making unsubstantiated knee-jerk reaction", Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said "three factors should be taken into account" by those who are making allegations over the death of Sunanda Pushkar.

"First, AIIMS itself has issued an official statement clearly rejecting the allegations made by Dr Gupta. Secondly, the health minister in the NDA regime, Harsh Vardhan, is on record that he has no recollection of Dr Gupta making any such complaint at the time when he prepared the report about the death of Pushkar about six months back. And thirdly, by now it is clear that Dr Gupta's latest statement was prompted only by certain grouses about the departmental promotion issues with the CAT," Singhvi said.