Journalism of Courage
The mortal remains of Sunanda Pushkar, who was found dead in mysterious circumstances at a luxury hotel on Friday night, were consigned to flameson Saturday in presence of her family members. Sunanda’s 21-year-old son Shiv Menon lit the pyre. (IE Photo: Praveen Khanna)
Pushkar’s husband Union minister Shashi Tharoor, her father and brother were among the family members present at the Lodhi Road crematorium. (IE Photo: Praveen Khanna)
Earlier, her body was taken from AIIMS to Tharoor’s residence at Lodhi Estate where a number of prominent political leaders including Defence Minister A K Antony, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi and former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit paid tributes to her. (IE Photo: Praveen Khanna)
The last rites of Sunanda Pushkar were held at the Lodhi Road crematorium. (IE Photo: Praveen Khanna)
The body of 52-year-old Pushkar, a woman entrepreneur who married Tharoor in August 2010, was found in the Leela Palace Hotel in South Delhi last evening. (IE Photo: Praveen Khanna)
Sources said some of Pushkar's family members, including her brother and son Shiv Menon, visited AIIMS where postmortem on her body was conducted by a three member panel of senior doctors. (IE Photo: Praveen Khanna)
Meanwhile Shashi Tharoor was admitted to AIIMS for a "cardiac condition", hours after he found his wife dead in a hotel room, and was discharged in the afternoon. (IE Photo: Praveen Khanna)
A team of cardiologists carried out a series of tests on him including ECG and kept him under observation. As his tests report came normal and his condition was stable, he was discharged, doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences said.
HRD minister Pallam Raju at AIIMS hospital. (IE Photo: Praveen Khanna)
AIIMS spokesperson Neerja Batla told reporters that Tharoor was admitted to AIIMS at 3:30 AM with general discomfort and palpitation.
Naveen Jindal at AIIMS hospital. (IE Photo: Praveen Khanna)
"He has been recently diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure. He was kept under observation and examined by a team of cardiologists. ECG is normal and other tests are also normal. His condition is stable. He was kept under observation," she said.
Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad leaves AIIMS after meeting Shashi Tharoor. (IE Photo: Praveen Khanna)
Sunanda Pushkar, who was upset over an alleged extra-marital affair between her minister husband Shashi Tharoor and a Pakistani journalist, was found dead in a five-star hotel room on January 17, which police suspect may be a case of suicide. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)
The body of 52-year-old Pushkar, a woman entrepreneur who married Tharoor in August 2010, was found in mysterious circumstances in luxury Leela Palace hotel in South Delhi, top police sources said. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)
The Minister's private secretary Abhinav Kumar is said to have telephoned the police control room around 2100 hours after which personnel from Sarojini Nagar police station rushed to the hotel in a posh area of South Delhi. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)
Police sources speaking on condition of anonymity said they suspect it could be a case of suicide. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)
Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said inquest proceedings have been initiated by the sub-divisional magistrate of the area. Any death within seven years of marriage is legally required to be investigated by the sub-divisional magistrate. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)
Kumar told reporters at the hotel that Tharoor and Pushkar were staying in a suite since yesterday as some painting work was on at home. The Minister was away throughout the day in the AICC, he said. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)
When he came back around 8:30 PM, he found the door of her room inside the suite locked from the inside. She seemed to be sleeping in a normal way but later it was found she was dead. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)
Kumar said there was no sign of foul play but whether it was natural death or not cannot be said now. "The cause of death and the time of death, we cannot say now," he said. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)
The minister was in the hotel late in the night when the police sealed suite no.345 on the third floor and police were making arrangements to take the body to AIIMS for a possible post mortem. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)
Pushkar and Tharoor were at the centre of a raging controversy in the last two days when reports emerged that she was upset over reported text and tweet messages between her husband and Mehr Tarar, Pakistani journalist. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)
