In a press conference in Thrissur, Kerala, Shashi Tharoor said that he had lost his wife and had not been allowed to mourn in peace due to media reports, many of which had been based on misinformation and lies, according to Tharoor.
“As you know, I issued a statement after the Delhi police filed an FIR in connection with the tragic demise of my wife. I was completely taken aback because no one in the family believed foul play was involved. Everyone loved her deeply,” said Tharoor. “I pledged complete cooperation with the police to help them establish the facts and get to the bottom of this.”
The Delhi police has been questioning Shashi Tharoor as a witness in the Sunanda Pushkar murder case.
On his silence on the issue, Tharoor said, “Some have been saying that my silence is sinister. But I have been silent the entire year. I have been silent for obvious reasons. When there is a police inquiry, it is my duty to not undermine the police investigation by making unnecessary public statements. That would be an insult to police investigation. I have always stressed on letting the police do their work. I am not here to engage in public debates for TRPs. We will do anything that we can do to help them (the police) to solve this.”
“I am surprised with this development. I had a number of concerns and questions in connection with the way the investigations have been conducted so far. I have written at some length to the police commissioner in detail, which should be discussed by the police tomorrow,” said the Congress leader.
“There has been a lot of public attention and controversy on this issue based on misinformation and sometimes outright lies,” he said. “I hope that this investigation will now be carried on without any political pressure and predetermined outcomes.”
Tharoor expressed disappointment over the delay in the investigation. “I requested a speedy inquiry into the case but we had to wait for a year before the FIR was filed,” Tharoor said. “I have lost my wife and have not been allowed to mourn in peace for an entire year.”
He also said that he had given more details to the police and reiterated that he will not frequently make public statements. “I hope for a professional police investigation,” he said. “In the meantime, I request the media to have some heart for the surviving family members and maintain some decency in reporting on such issues.”
Tharoor also posted tweets about the news conference.
9 Jan, 3.45 pm: Police receieves report on Sunanda Pushkar’s cellphones, laptop
Delhi police received a report on the three mobile phones and laptop of Sunanda Pushkar and will release information on the results found after investigation, according to Times Now.
End of updates for 8 January
6.59 pm: SIT interrogates Tharoor’s domestic help
The Special Investigating Team of Delhi Police probing the death of Sunanda Pushkar interrogated Shashi Tharoor’s domestic help.
Sources told PTI that Tharoor’s domestic help Narayan Singh was interrogated at an undisclosed location in South Delhi. He was interrogated by police at least twice earlier.
Singh, who was in Himachal Pradesh, came to Delhi this morning after investigators asked him last night to join the probe.
4.43 pm: Tharoor to leave ayurvedic centre tomorrow
Shashi Tharoor will leave the ayurvedic treatment centre in Kerala by tomorrow, said media reports. Tharoor had been undergoing treatment at this centre till now.
“Tharoor was busy finishing his book and he was undergoing a 14-day general wellness programme for ailments like frozen shoulder and stiffness,” owner of Perumbayil Ayurveda Mana (ayurveda centre) Sajeev Kurup told IANS.
8 Jan, 3.34 pm: Did not send legal notice to Tharoor, says Bassi
Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi clarified that they have not issued any legal notice to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in connection with the death of Sunanda Pushkar.
“We have not issued any formal legal notice to Shashi Tharoor in connection with the probe into his wife’s death. Whatever needed is being done to investigate,” Bassi said.
“The investigating officer has to collect more information and all evidences are being examined and verified,” he added. – PTI
End of updates for 7 January
5.09 pm: Cop tried to implicate me in Sunanda’s murder case, Tharoor told Bassi
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has said that a Delhi Police official had attempted to implicate him in the murder of his wife Sunanda Pushkar.
In a letter to Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi dated 12 November 2014 and accessed by the media on Wednesday, Tharoor urged the police chief to take action against the concerned officer, an IANS report said.
Tharoor said that four Delhi Police officers interrogated his domestic help Narayan Singh last month — for 16 hours on 7 November and for 14 hours 8 November.
On both days, Tharoor alleged that Narayan Singh was “repeatedly physically assaulted by one of your officers.”
“Worse, that officer used the traumatic physical assault to try and intimidate Narayan into ‘confessing’ that he and I murdered my wife,” the former central minister said.
Tharoor recalled that he expressed his concerns to Bassi over telephone 8 November night.
“As you graciously agreed, such conduct is completely unacceptable and illegal,” Tharoor said in his letter. “It also amounts to the use of physical coercion in the attempt to frame an innocent man.
“I would request you to take immediate and appropriate action against such unlawful misconduct of the officer concerned.
“My staff and I have always made ourselves available for any kind of inquiry and investigation but the recent behaviour of the officers towards my staff is a matter of serious concern to any law abiding citizen.
“Please look into the matter personally and ensure that the unvarnished truth comes out in this case.”
Tharoor said he had “complete trust and faith” in Delhi Police and that he was committed to “fully cooperating with the investigations to ensure the timely completion of the inquiry”.
The letter became public knowledge a day after Delhi Police announced that Sunanda, found dead in a hotel a year ago, was poisoned to death.
