'Delay' in viscera report, dead airman's family waits months for justice

The high profile of Sunanda Pushkar case may have speeded up her viscera report, but the father of an Indian Air Force man has been waiting for justice for almost a year.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda was found dead in January 2014, while Pawan Kumar was allegedly killed by his wife in March 2014.

In both the cases, police suspected  some sort of  poisoning, but have not made any arrest.

Pawan’s father Jai Prakash alleged that Seema killed him by giving him poisonous substance, suspected to be aluminium phosphate tablets.

Prakash told Deccan Herald that police sent viscera samples to a forensic lab in Hyderabad after over eight months of Pawan’s death.

Now, the report is not expected before August.

Viscera samples are of internal organs of the body, especially those  within the abdominal and thoracic cavities, such as the liver, heart and stomach.

“The cases are very similar. Police have even sent Sunanda’s viscera samples to a forensic lab abroad, but the investigating officer in our case seems to be protecting Seema. Pawan’s viscera samples were sent for tests in October. We want justice with Seema’s arrest,” Prakash said.

Father meets police
On Monday, Prakash met Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Deepak Mishra to complain about inaction in the case.

Prakash claimed that no action has been initiated against Seema despite repeated complaints and an FIR filed in October 2014 with Delhi Cantonment police station.
Prakash said Pawan was killed, but Seema only faced charges of abetment to suicide under section 306 of the Indian Penal Code.

In their investigation, police found that Pawan was depressed with the way his married life was unstable and had suicidal tendency.

Seema is yet to be arrested as Pawan even told his family members that he would commit suicide if their marital discord continued, police said.

“We suspect it to be a case of suicide,” said a police officer.
Pawan was admitted to Base Hospital in south-west Delhi’s Dhaula Kuan after he felt uneasy on March 22, 2014. The 27-year-old was treated in the emergency and ICU wards before he died on March 23.

“After a post-mortem, doctors informed that aluminum phosphate tablets were found in Pawan’s body,” Prakash added.

Pawan, who hailed from UP’s Bulandshahr district, lived with Seema and two children in Indian Air Force’s staff quarters in south-west Delhi’s Palam.

He had joined Indian Air Force as an aircraftsman in July 2003 and married Seema in November 2007. But the couple had been facing marital discord and Seema had even filed for divorce in Dwarka Court in 2013.

“Seema and her family members were just interested in Pawan’s income and our family’s income from property business in Noida. Pawan had told me on numerous occasions that Seema and her family members had borrowed at least Rs 14 lakh from him,” Prakash claimed, adding the couple frequently argued over the borrowed money.