The controversy over Sunanda Pushkar's death deepened on Thursday as senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a CBI probe into the matter since it could be concerned with her threat to disclose "money-laundering" in the IPL.
Both the Congress and Sunanda's husband and former minister Shashi Tharoor maintained that the matter is being investigated and refused to elaborate.
AIIMS forensic department head Sudhir Gupta, who revived the controversy by claiming that he was pressured to write in his post mortem report that the death was "natural", Thursday said his report was based on the principles and ethics of medicine.
Speaking to scribes, Swamy said: "I have written to the prime minister seeking a CBI probe into Sunanda Pushkar's death."
He said he has, in fact, asked Modi in the letter to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) which should include members of the Intelligence Bureau and as well as the Enforcement Directorate "in view of the fact that the cause of death could have something to do with her threat of disclosure of the money laundering in the IPL scam, involving the son-in-law of a powerful political figure of the UPA".
Swamy in his letter said the death has been "hanging fire till today" and that the "FIR registered in the matter has not been acted upon and the final report has yet to be filed".
In his letter, he mentioned the post mortem report, which had stated that Pushkar had 12 major injuries on her body and forearm. Swamy said "it seemed like an injection" was administered to her.
It further said an affidavit filed in the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) by Gupta has fully re-opened the issue. "Hence in these circumstances, a SIT inquiry should be set up on your direction."
Pushkar, 52, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in her room at a five-star hotel in south Delhi Jan 17.
The post mortem report had said the cause of death was "sudden" and Pushkar died of "drug overdose."
The autopsy report had shown "Alprazolam poisoning" and also stated that "all the injuries were caused by blunt force, simple in nature and not contributing to death, produced during a scuffle.
In his report, Gupta had said there was an injury mark indicating an injection mark and also teeth bites. Pushkar had a total of 15 injuries on her body, sustained during 12 hours to four days.
Delhi Police had set up a SIT a few days after the mysterious death to probe the case as Pushkar died a little after three years of the marriage. According to Indian law, a death is probed by either a magistrate or police if it has occurred within seven years of the marriage.
Tharoor and Pushkar were married in August 2010.
