Shashi Tharoor quizzed by SIT for 7 hours, Sunanda Pushkar’s viscera sent to US

New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was quizzed on Thursday for nearly seven hours, spread over two rounds including for two hours late in the night by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Delhi Police in connection with the mysterious death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar during which he faced tough questions mainly on IPL controversy.

The questioning of Tharoor by a five-member SIT team took place at the Anti Auto Theft Squad (AATS) office in Vasant Vihar in South Delhi.

Delhi Police had earlier examined the former Union minister on January 19.

Tharoor was seen leaving with his lawyer after the questioning on Thursday night.

A fourth round of questioning Tharoor may take place over the weekend because of certain contradictions in his statements, police sources said.

He is likely to leave for Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.

Tharoor's interrogation came on a day when Sunanda's viscera sample was sent to a FBI laboratory in the US for further probe.

According to police sources, Tharoor sought a break in the questioning during the day on the ground he had to attend an event at the India Habitat Centre here.

Tharoor's domestic help Bajrangi and Narayan Singh, his common friend Sanjay Diwan, his PS Praveen Kumar and Rajat Mohan (cardiologist of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital) were questioned along with him earlier in the day. Besides, they were also separately quizzed.

Sources said that the questioning of Tharoor was mainly focussed on the IPL controversy, which had broken out in early 2010 when he was minister of state for external affairs.

There were allegations that he had "misused" his office to ensure that Rs 70 crore, which was equivalent to 19 per cent equity in IPL Kochi franchise Rendezvous Sports, was paid to Sunanda, a charge denied by him.

Sources also said that a top senior police official, who is a member of SIT, left for the US to give the sample of Sunanda's viscera to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Police want to confirm whether the poison was radioactive isotopes, which cannot be detected in Indian labs, the sources said.

Tharoor first reached Sarojini Nagar police station and was later taken to the office of AATS around 11.30 AM where he was questioned by the SIT team.

The SIT team, headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Prem Nath and comprising Additional DCP P S Kushwaha and three senior officers asked Tharoor about his relations with Sunanda and some other aspects.

DCP Mangesh Kashyap from the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), who was also part of the team, asked some questions to Tharoor about the now defunct IPL Kochi franchise.

He was questioned about the circumstances in which Sunanda had left him at the airport after returning from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi on January 15 last year and checked in at Leela Hotel, the sources said.

Police Commissioner B S Bassi said, "We called six witnesses today in the second round of questioning into the case. The SIT confronted them and once again recorded their statements."