Sunanda Pushkar death: Delhi Police questions journalists

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Thursday started questioning some journalists to whom Sunanda Pushkar had spoken hours before her death in January last year amidst its efforts to piece together the sequence of events that preceded her demise in mysterious circumstances. The police is trying to find out whether she had mentioned to them about the IPL controversy or her husband Shashi Tharoor’s alleged relations with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar or about any plans of hers to hold a press conference. [caption id=“attachment_2059455” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Sunanda Pushkar. PTI[/caption] These journalists had been mentioning that Sunanda had suspected Tharoor of having an affair with Tarar and have also quoted her of saying that she had “taken the flak for him (Tharoor) in the IPL (controversy)”, police sources said while explaining why one male and two female journalists were called for questioning by the Special Investigating Team (SIT). There has also been a talk that the 52-year-old wife of Tharoor had planned to hold a press conference on 17 January, the day she was found dead in a room of a five-star hotel in New Delhi. The sources said more journalists may be called as police wants to speak to all those who were in contact with her in the days preceding her death. Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi said the journalists have been called to “understand the sequence of events”. “Some journalist had mentioned that Sunanda Pushkar had called them an evening prior to her death. So it is relevant for us to talk to them. So we would like to take the help of these journalists. All those who had mentioned that she had spoken to them, we will talk to all of them to understand the sequence of events and I think SIT will complete it in a day or two,” he said. Delhi Police filed a case of murder in the case on 1 January this year and an SIT was formed to probe the case. The SIT has questioned several people so far, including Tharoor, who was examined on Monday for around four hour. “The SIT will ask these journalists about the discussion she had with them. What was it that she had spoken about the IPL controversy and Tharoor’s relations with Mehr Tarar,” said a police official close to the investigation. Sources said that they will also be asked whether she talked about any press conference, which Tharoor’s domestic help Narayan had said that she was planning to hold. Asked whether Tharoor will be questioned again, Bassi said, “It (his statement given to police on Monday) is being analysed and if necessary he would be called in the next couple of days.” He also indicated that Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar can also be questioned if the SIT finds it relevant. “Everything will be done. We would like to take information from everybody whether they are in India or abroad,” he said. The police chief said police would like to talk to one Tej Saraf (77), who had yesterday claimed that she was taking “fistful of medicines” and had fainted twice weeks before her death when he had hosted her and Shashi Tharoor at his Goa home. PTI