Sunanda Pushkar report: AIIMS denies Dr Gupta's allegations

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has denied the allegations made by its forensic department head Dr Sudhir Gupta in the Sunanda Pushkar death case and has called them false and motivated. “AIIMS categorically denies that Dr Sudhir Gupta was pressurized to change the autopsy report of Sunanda Pushkar,” said an AIIMS spokesperson in a press conference. The officials present also said that the affidavit sent by Dr Sudhir Gupta to the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) was regarding the promotion of a fellow doctor. Moreover, the officials said that charges could be filed against Gupta if needed and it was also upto the administration to decide whether Gupta would continue as AIIMS forensic department head or not. [caption id=“attachment_1599689” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Dr. Sudhir Gupta alleged that officials, including Shashi Tharoor (right), had pressurized him into submitting a doctored post-mortem report on Sunanda Pushkar’s death. AFP[/caption] Gupta had earlier claimed that he had been pressurized by top officials, including Shashi Tharoor and Ghulam Nabi Azad, into submitting a doctored post-mortem report stating that Pushkar’s death had occurred due to drug poisoning which could either be suicidal or homicidal. Former Union minister and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also said he has always maintained that a full probe be carried out by investigative agencies and that he had cooperated with the police at all times. “Upon the tragic loss of my wife Sunanda and from the very beginning, I have requested for a thorough investigation by the authorities to be conducted and concluded rapidly and transparently. The Pushkar family has taken the same view and we have all fully co-operated with the authorities. I reiterate my request to bring this protracted inquiry to a clear and definitive conclusion at the earliest, so as to put all speculation to rest,” the minister said, in a statement released to the media and available on his Facebook page. Tharoor’s wife Pushkar was found dead in a hotel room on 17 January this year. Tharoor discovered her body after he returned from the All India Congress committee meeting at 8 pm. In the days leading up to her death, Pushkar was engaged in a verbal spat on Twitter with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar who she suspected was having an affair with Tharoor. However, both Tharoor and Tarar denied these allegations.