Tharoor may be questioned again: police

New Delhi, January 20: Delhi Police chief B.S. Bassi on Tuesday said that if necessary, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor would be questioned again for the mysterious murder of his wife Sunda Pushkar in January last year. “We have examined several people related to this case. Some of them are still to be questioned and we are in the process of completing our questioning,” Bassi told the media. Asked about Tharoor’s questioning on Monday night, he said: “Tharoor was questioned for around three–and–a–half hours...and if necessary he will be called for a second round of questioning.”

Police officials refused to share Tharoor’s answers during the questioning Monday evening, saying any revelation would hamper the imvestigations. Pushkar was found dead in a luxury hotel’s room here Jan 17, 2014. Police have said she was poisoned to death. Bassi said, “Our SIT (Special Investigation Team) questioned Tharoor about the background of the incident and also the incident”. He added that police were alysing Tharoor’s answers given to the interrogating team. Tharoor was questioned Monday evening – hours after he was issued a notice. Tharoor was questioned at the Anti Auto Theft Squad office in south Delhi’s Vasant Vihar police station where he reached around 8 p.m. He was questioned till midnight. Police sources said that the former union minister was “relaxed” while answering the questions and spoke mostly in English.

A five–member team of SIT — including a deputy commissioner of police, an additiol deputy commissioner, an assistant commissioner and two inspectors — questioned Tharoor for over four hours. He was asked about his strained relationship with Pushkar, and was also asked as to when he got to know about her death and why he did not take her to the hospital. Sources said he was also asked why he informed the police so late. He was also questioned about his alleged fight with Pushkar on January 17 morning, the day she was found dead in the hotel’s room here.

Tharoor was also asked about their fight on a flight when the couple was headed to Delhi on January 15. Sources added that Tharoor was asked about the 15 injury marks found on Pushkar’s body, and if he hurt her. He was asked about his relation with Pakistani jourlist Mehr Tarar, whose friendship with Tharoor had reportedly led to a row between him and Pushkar. “There were a series of questions which Tharoor had to face,” sources said. Tharoor was called for questioning for the first time in connection with his wife’s murder case. He reached the tiol capital Monday from Bengaluru, where he had gone to attend a school function.  The SIT has questioned at least 12 people, including Tharoor’s security staff members and domestic help who were present in the hotel in south Delhi’s Leela Palace hotel when Pushkar was found dead. A murder case against unknown people was registered on January 1. (IANS)