Sunanda's death was unnatural: Police

Delhi Police Commissioner Bhim Sain Bassi on Friday reiterated that Sunanda Pushkar’s death in January 2014 was “unnatural”.

Citing the final report of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) medical board which was submitted to Delhi Police, Bassi told reporters that he was certain with the evidences. The medical board was tasked to identify the ‘poison’ that caused Sunanda’s death as concluded by AIIMS after the initial probe. Sources said a poison dangerous to the heart was detected.

The Delhi Police is now likely to move an application in Patiala House Court seeking polygraph test on Sunanda’s husband and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. The court’s permission is needed to conduct the test.

The 11-page report with 32 pages of annexures was prepared by AIIMS after studying Sunanda’s viscera report sent by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The FBI report was handed over to the Forensic Medicine and Toxicology department of AIIMS in November. In their report, the FBI had ruled out the theory of polonium poisoning.

Sunanda’s viscera samples was sent to the FBI lab in United States in February 2015 to determine the poison. It was done after AIIMS concluded in their preliminary report that she died because of poisoning — suspected to be Polonium-210 or Po-210. 

“We had sought certain clarifications regarding the forensic aspects mentioned in FBI report. As far as evidences are concerned until now, Sunanda Pushkar’s death was unnatural. I can say this with certainty,” Bassi said.

Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Deepak Mishra will review the progress. On Friday, Mishra also held a meeting with the Special Investigating Team probing the case.

According to Sunanda’s post-mortem examination, there were more than dozen injury marks on Sunanda’s hands. There was also a teeth bite on her left palm and an abrasion on her cheek.

Investigators have so far conducted polygraph tests on six persons. Sources said the SIT is now holding meetings to take a decision on conducting a polygraph test on Tharoor.
“We hope the polygraph tests and Sunanda’s viscera report will give a new direction to the probe in the high-profile case,” said a police officer.

Police have relied on medical and forensic reports while registering a case under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code against unidentified persons with Sarojini Nagar police station.