Sunanda death sudden, unnatural, say doctors

Body had injury marks; drug overdose suspected

A day after Union Minister Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in a south Delhi hotel, a three-member panel of doctors on Saturday said post-mortem conducted at AIIMS suggested that it was a case of “sudden unnatural death”.

Biological specimens were retrieved for toxicological analysis and visco-pathological examination and doctors were expected to ascertain the cause of death by Monday.
Sources, however, claimed police were looking into accidental overdose of pills used for treatment of severe panic and anxiety disorders.

Dr Sudhir Gupta, head of the Forensic Sciences Department at AIIMS, ruled out presence of poison in Sunanda’s body, but mentioned external injury marks. “We are focusing on investigating the reason for the sudden unnatural death. In view of that, all injuries have been photographed and filmed. Some pathology of the heart has also been preserved,” he said.

Gupta refused to reveal details of the injuries found on Sunanda’s body, saying that the police were working on the case. “The nature of injuries can’t be revealed, but there are certain injuries. Basically in medico-legal cases, the number of injuries do not matter. Whether these injuries are related to fatality or not matters,” he said.

Sources added that “blue marks” were found on Sunanda’s wrists, neck and shoulder.
Meanwhile, Tharoor was admitted to AIIMS after he complained of uneasiness and chest pain. He was initially admitted to the Intensive Care Unit around 3:30 am and later shifted to a private ward. Doctors treating him said he was suffering from hypertension and palpitation. He was discharged on Saturday afternoon.

Sunanda’s body was handed over to Tharoor around 2 pm, after which last rites were performed at the Lodhi Road Crematorium.

During the day, the police questioned Tharoor’s staff. They also spoke to the staff of the Leela Palace Hotel in south Delhi’s Chanakyapuri.

Investigating officers have been told that the couple had a heated argument in the hotel lobby. Sources said housekeeping staff also saw them arguing in the hotel room.

Meanwhile, Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences in Thiruvananthapuram, where Sunanda was admitted for treatment earlier in the week, claimed that the 52-year-old was not suffering from any life threatening disease.

Vice-chairman Dr Govindan Vijayaraghavan said Sunanda was admitted on January 12 and discharged on January 14. “She walked out of hospital and attended a function after being discharged. Tharoor was with her,” he added.

Sunanda was, however, expected to return to hospital for a review next week.