Drug overdose may have killed Sunanda Pushkar: Autopsy

The autopsy of Sunanda Pushkar indicates that she died of drug overdose, most likely a lethal combination of sedatives, some other strong medicines and perhaps alcohol. While the team of AIIMS doctors conducting the post-mortem examination used a bland phrase - "sudden unnatural death" - as the cause of death, Delhi police officers probing the death were more forthcoming in private conversations to state that it was possibly a case of suicide. However, it is still not known whether the drug overdose was caused by inadvertent recklessness or by a premeditated desire to end life. What's now more of less certain is that Sunanda Pushkar was deeply distressed by her husband, Union minister Shashi Tharoor's friendship with Pakistan journalist Mehr Tarar and had demanded six months ago that he snap all communication with her. Whether this demand was met is uncertain because tweets between Tharoor and Tarar surfaced in public two days before her death.

It's learnt that Tharoor and Sunanda have been fighting in public and there were several witnesses to it. In her interactions with journalists on Wednesday and Thursday, Sunanda appeared stressed and often less than charitable towards her husband. She said several things to TOI but later called to retract her statements, indicating yet again the disturbed state of her mind. Journalist Nalini Singh, who had spoken to Sunanda the night before her death, confirmed to TOI that Tharoor's friendship with

Tarar was causing her deep distress. "She was distraught," said Singh. "The Tarar thing had overpowered her. She was planning something - 'I won't take this lying down,' she said." Singh added there was something more she knew which she wouldn't share with the media. "I have written to the Police Commissioner and the DCP asking them that they can record her statement if they want," she said.

On the India Today website Singh is quoted as saying that Sunanda's illness was also disturbing her. "She was under the impression that she was very ill. She told me that she had been diagnosed with stomach TB. It was late at night and maybe she said it would be cancer now...She was under the impression that she was not well at all. That would definitely play on her mind," Singh is quoted as saying. On Saturday, Sunanda's post-mortem was conducted by a team of experienced doctors headed by Dr Sudhir Gupta. Dr Gupta told TOI: "Preliminary investigations are suggestive of drug overdose." Samples of the viscera - internal organs of the body, for example, heart, liver and intestines - have been taken to check toxicity caused by drug overdose. "We will conclude our opinion within a couple of days, subject to the outcome of toxicology reports."

Dr Gupta said there were physical injuries on certain parts of Sunanda's body, although these were unlikely to have caused her death. Sources said the police have found strips of medicines including sedatives (Alprax) from Pushkar's hotel room, giving credence to the theory of death due to drug overdose. "Alprax is a sedative prescribed mainly to patients suffering from anxiety problem, sleep disorder or depression. However, if taken in extremely high dosage it can affect the functioning of the heart leading to even death," said a drug expert, who did not want to be identified. He said that consuming such high dosage cannot be accidental. "It is mostly suicidal," he said. Initial examination of Sunanda's body - examination of the body condition, rigor mortis - has revealed death took place around 4-7 pm. "The body arrived at the institute at around 2 am ," said Dr Amit Gupta, the AIIMS spokesperson. He said that since it was a medico-legal case being overseen by a judicial magistrate, doctors had to wait for the inquest orders before conducting the autopsy.

"After inquest orders were received, institute director Dr M C Misra formed a medical board to conduct the procedure. Consent was given by Pushkar's husband Shashi Tharoor and her son Shiv Menon," Gupta said. The post-mortem was filmed and all injuries marks were photographed to ensure that every single detail is preserved. "The samples will be examined at the hospital lab and parts of it will be sent to the Forensic Sciences Laboratory for detailed examination. The report should be out by Monday," said an AIIMS official.

"You should rest assure that there will be no partiality. We will share the laboratory results as and when we get it," said Dr Gupta, the head of the forensic sciences department. The body of Pushkar was handed over to Tharoor, who was present while the post-mortem was being conducted despite his illness, at around 2 pm. After that the body was taken by Tharoor for the last rites.