ND Tiwari’s son Rohit Shekhar was strangled, says autopsy, police register murder

“It was not a natural death. Five senior doctors from the medical institute were involved in conducting the investigation. We have videographed and photographed the entire investigation. All of them unanimously came to this conclusion that the victim died due to strangulation,” Dr Sudhir Gupta, head of the AIIMS forensic department told The Indian Express.

Shekhar was brought dead at Max hospital in Saket on Tuesday but the hospital, in its official statement, had not mentioned the cause of death.

Also Read | ND Tiwari’s son’s death is now a murder case

DCP (south) Vijay Kumar said, “On the basis of the autopsy report, we have registered an FIR of murder on Thursday night and the case has been transferred to the Crime Branch.” Police said the viscera and stomach contents have been preserved as well.

According to the autopsy report, it was an unnatural death due to smothering and strangulation. “The experts also mentioned in the autopsy report that he died at around 2 am on April 16 and it is sudden unnatural death, placed in the category of homicide. Two bones in his neck were found broken,” said a senior police officer.

“The incident came to light at around 4 pm after Shekhar’s mother Ujjwala Tiwari, who was admitted at Max hospital, received a call from her house about her son being unwell and bleeding from the nose. A call was made to Max Hospital, Saket, and an ambulance brought Shekhar to the hospital, where he was declared brought dead.”

Police said the autopsy was ordered after investigators noticed ligature marks on his neck. On Friday morning, the Special CP (crime) Satish Golcha and senior Crime Branch officers visited Shekhar’s house and questioned his step-brother and domestic help.

Sources said Shekhar was seen on CCTV footage at around 10.30 pm on April 15 – the day he died – when he entered his house with his mother and two domestic help.

After years of denial, Tiwari publicly accepted Shekhar as his son in 2014. Shekhar had filed a paternity suit against Tiwari in the Delhi High Court in September 2007. A DNA test ordered by the court had established Tiwari as Shekhar’s biological father.