The death almost exactly a year ago of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of then Union minister Shashi Tharoor, was registered as a murder by the Delhi police Tuesday. Since the latest medical report by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi speaks of death by poisoning, the police may well have been held to be remiss if the murder angle was left out. Conceivably, this could be the reason behind its latest stance. But Mr Tharoor’s statement that there was an attempt by the police to frame him with the help of a family domestic help merits serious attention.
It is surprising that over the past 12 months since the tragedy occurred, the police appears not to have found any other facts germane to the case. In short, it spent the entire year waiting for the medical side to show up something. And, in the end, even this seems inconclusive as the viscera is now being sent abroad for detailed analysis to take in different forms of poisoning, including from radioactive materials, to examine which no facility apparently exists in this country.
Death by poisoning need not necessarily be murder, but the Delhi police seems to be persuaded that a needle mark on the person of the deceased makes for the probability of poison being injected, and the police believes this lowers the probability of suicide. None of this is likely to stand in court unless properly corroborated by material evidence in other forms.
Indeed, since the viscera is now being sent abroad for examination, it is not unlikely that a de novo analysis may rule out the very idea of poisoning. In that event, the police may just look a little foolish (and so would AIIMS). Therefore, the terms of reference of the fresh request for analysis made to foreign experts is likely to become relevant.
It does appear from the circumstances of the case that much time has been lost and not even a basic understanding has been obtained, lending the matter a touch of mystery. The authorities could have pushed themselves harder and shown more alacrity in getting to the bottom of the matter. Focusing all energies on poisoning seems just too pat. And then, the police will have to struggle to establish a motive for murder, if that’s what it has set out to do.
It’s unfortunate that Mr Tharoor, Thiruvananthapuram’s MP, has been sought to be pilloried by his political rivals in Kerala who asked him to resign his Lok Sabha seat. The demand is plainly absurd. Those in responsible positions are expected to conduct themselves with some dignity, and not behave like bit players out to extract the smallest mileage from an uncertain situation.
