Sunanda case: Tharoor to be questioned in next couple of days

Delhi Police Commissioner Bassi said they have just started investigation in the case and the probe is on at full swing

Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi today said that the questioning of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in connection with the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar is "possible in the next couple of days".

When asked about media reports that the evidence in the hotel room where Sunanda was found dead on January 17 last year was tampered with, Bassi said, "There is no basis to these allegations."

"I know that he (Tharoor) has come to Delhi. Our investigation is on and it is possible in the next couple of days or whenever the SIT will find it appropriate, they will question him," he said.

The police chief also did not rule out questioning Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar, and said if the SIT finds anything relevant, "that will not be ignored".

Bassi said that Sunanda's viscera samples have not been sent abroad as yet.

51-year-old Sunanda was found dead at a suite in five-star hotel in South Delhi on the night of January 17, 2014, a day after her spat with Tarar on micro-blogging website Twitter over her alleged affair with Tharoor.

Her viscera samples have to be sent to a foreign lab in the US or UK to determine the nature and quantity of the poison which caused her death.

"It has to be sent, once the procedures are complete it will be sent," Bassi said.

On whether the police was looking at the IPL cricket league-angle to the case, the police chief said, "When you are looking into a case, you always look into the circumstances, background and anything which can throw light in the case. We always look into those aspects. Whatever will be required will be done by the SIT."

Bassi said they have just started investigation in the case and the probe is on at full swing, but it is not possible to reach a conclusion soon.

"I would be able to brief you in two-three days. What I can tell you at this moment is that our investigation is on at full swing and we want to reach a logical conclusion as soon as possible," he told reporters.

"We are lucky that whatever we do, we have to be transparent because our work is examined by the prosecution, judicial officers of the court and the defence. So we cannot afford to go wrong," Bassi said when asked about allegations of delay in conducting the probe.

"I am sure that whenever our investigation is complete nobody will have any doubts," he added.