Hindustan Times (Delhi)

‘Discord led to Sunanda’s suicide’

- HT Correspond­ent htreporter­s@hindustant­imes.com

THE DELHI POLICE ON MONDAY SUBMITTED A CHARGESHEE­T IN A CITY COURT IN SUNANDA PUSHKAR’S DEATH CASE

NEWDELHI: The Delhi police have used the psychologi­cal analysis report of five persons, including Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and his domestic help, to establish the couple’s strained relationsh­ip which led Tharoor’s wife, Sunanda Pushkar, to overdose on anti-depressant­s, as per the chargeshee­t submitted to a Delhi court on Monday.

The police have attached a final report from AIIMS with the chargeshee­t. The report has mentioned Alprax depressant tablets as one of the possible reasons for Pushkar’s death.

A police officer, who did not wish to be named, said that the analysis report, though not admissible as evidence in court, supports other evidence such as medical and autopsy reports, statements of those who knew the couple and the phone messages they have retrieved.

Tharoor has termed the police chargeshee­t ‘prepostero­us’ and said he would “contest it vigorously”.

“A team of psychologi­cal experts spoke to the five persons who knew the couple and met them before Pushakar’s death. We did have evidence of the couple’s strained relationsh­ip and scuffle, which is admissible in court. To substantia­te that, the psychologi­cal profiling of these five characters helped build our case,” said a police officer.

“Our case is based on the circumstan­ces in which she, Pushkar, took her life. She had seen the messages her husband exchanged with another woman. They were having regular fights, which she had confided in other persons too. We have establishe­d this from psychologi­cal analysis and have attached all these reports to the chargeshee­t,” the officer.

Pushkar’s death probe has seen many flip flops since 2014. One year into the investigat­ion, the police had called it a murder but did not name any accused.

In its chargeshee­t on Monday, the police told the court that Pushkar killed herself and charged Tharoor with abetment to suicide. The chargeshee­t also named Tharoor as prime suspect.

Explaining the changes in the police theory, a senior police officer said, “This is not the first time when a case of alleged murder turned out to be a suicide. This involved a politician and a celebrity so everyone knows about it. We registered a murder case so that we do not miss out on any thing in our investigat­ion.”

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