File Photo: Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi
Reporters who were phoned by Sunanda Pushkar two days before she died will be questioned this week, said Delhi Police Chief BS Bassi. NDTV's Barkha Dutt is among them.
Ms Pushkar, the wife of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, was found dead in a luxury hotel a year ago. This month, the police launched a murder inquiry after months of a public debate on whether she had committed suicide or died of an accidental overdose.
Ms Pushkar phoned Barkha Dutt on January 15, 2014, sounding distraught. As Ms Dutt has recounted on television, Ms Pushkar alleged that her husband was having an affair with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar, and she had moved out of the minister's official residence into the Leela Hotel. Ms Pushkar told NDTV's Group Editor that she had "taken the flak for him in the IPL." She made a similar charge in her conversation with senior journalist Nalini Singh.
Mr Bassi has said that the police inquiry will look at "the IPL angle". In 2010, Mr Tharoor was forced to resign as union minister after allegations that Ms Pushkar had been gifted equity worth 70 crores in the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise that he had lobbied for in his home state of Kerala. Opponents suggested that Ms Pushkar, who had not married Mr Tharoor at the time, was a front for an illicit payment to the politician, a charge he denied.
The murder case does not name any suspect so far. Mr Tharoor was questioned by the police for four hours on Monday night. Mr Bassi has said another round of interrogation with the politician is likely.
Mr Tharoor has said he is "stunned" by the police's conclusion that his wife was killed. Mr Tharoor reportedly discussed "marital trouble" in his questioning by the police, said sources.