Sunanda Pushkar case: Tharoor in war of words with BJP leader Subramanian Swamy

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In response to Tharoor’s remarks, Swamy said he had never claimed to know who Sunanda’s murderer was, he had in fact said that Tharoor knew who killed Sunanda and had therefore aided the murderer.

Read Also: Sunanda Pushkar murder case: Cong defends Shashi Tharoor, says not an accused

“The police must interrogate Shashi Tharoor, and if they find out he has lied, he must be arrested,” he added.

Swamy had alleged that Tharoor knew about his wife’s killer and that he has been trying to cover up the case by lying.

“Tharoor did not kill her, but he knows who killed her and facilitated her killing. He told lies and tried to cover up,” he had said.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi said that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) will take a decision on which country the samples of Sunanda Pushkar’s viscera will be sent, in the next two days.

“It (viscera) will be sent abroad, the decision will be taken in one or two days,” he told reporters outside Delhi Police Headquarters here.

Delhi Police had on January one registered a case of murder in connection with Sunanda’s death under Section 302 of IPC on the basis of an AIIMS medical report that concluded that her death was unnatural and due to poisoning but did not reveal the nature and the quantity of the poison.

A Special Investigating Team has also been formed to probe the case from scratch.

On January six, Bassi had said that it was necessary for them to file an FIR to be able to send viscera samples abroad to determine the nature and the quantity of the poison. The samples will be sent to a lab either in the US or UK but the final decision has not been taken so far.

Asked when Congress MP Shashi Tharoor will be questioned in the case, Bassi said the SIT is working as per a definitive action plan and what is necessary is being done.

“As and when they need to examine a particular individual, they are calling the person. I am sure they will not leave anything uncovered in this investigation,” he said.

The police chief maintained that their objective is to complete the investigation at the earliest as possible so that we can come to a logical conclusion.

Questioned whether the SIT wants to confront Tharoor with the statements of other individuals in the case and the available evidences, Bassi said that he will not like to prejudge what the SIT is going to do.

“But I can assure you that the SIT is proceeding in a very scientific fashion. Many things have been written and spoken (in the media) which may or may not be correct…Bear with us, maybe I will be able to tell you something in the next two to three days,” he said.

Asked when a charge sheet would be filed in the case, he said, “We will be coming to a final conclusion and whatever would be necessary on merit will be done.”

Asked so as to when Congress MP Shashi Tharoor will be questioned in the case of his wife Sunanda’s death, Bassi told NDTV, “It could be next few days. Question of months does not arise.”

The Delhi Police chief said that the final AIIMS medical report which was received by them on December 29 was “assertive” on certain aspects and led to filing of an FIR.

“FIR was not based on the basis of one thing but on certain aspects,” Bassi sought to clarify when asked whether the injection injury caused police to register a case.

Asked about Tharoor’s contention that any documents related to the investigation were not shared with him by the police, he said that any investigation is done as per CrPC and “under the law Mr Tharoor is not the person who the documents have to be given.”

On any part of the CCTV footage of the five-star hotel, where Sunanda was found dead on January 17 last year, has been tempered with, the police chief said that CCTV footage is a key evidence in the case and he would not like to discuss it.

Asked about media reports claiming that some people have stayed at the hotel after giving fake documents, Bassi said, “I have not seen any such reports.”

Meanwhile, Tharoor and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy were locked in a war of words with the former saying that if he (Swamy) knows the murderer he should name it.

Replying to this, Swamy said that he never said who the murderer is, “I said he (Tharoor) knows who it is”.