- Twisha Sharma's death ruled suicide by Bhopal Police, not murder as family alleges
- No drug use found in post-mortem, contradicting mother-in-law's addiction claim
- Husband and mother-in-law named accused; husband missing since Sharma's death
Twisha Sharma died by suicide and was not murdered, Bhopal Police has asserted, despite her family levelling criminal charges against the newly married woman's husband and mother-in-law.
No sign of drug use has been found in her post-mortem, Bhopal Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar has told NDTV, in contrast to a claim by her mother-in-law that she was an addict.
"What we have found so far from the post-mortem report and other evidence that we have collected is that it is a case of suicide and not of murder," said the top cop.
Read: "Pushed Into Glamour, Disowned By Parents": Twisha Sharma's Mother-In-Law
Twisha, who is from Noida, was found hanging at her in-laws' house in Bhopal on May 12, after what her family has alleged was mental harassment by her in-laws due to dowry demands.
"According to our investigation so far, it is a case of anti-mortem hanging," said Kumar, adding that the evidence collected by the police so far indicates that this was a clear case of suicide.
Twisha's husband Samarth Singh and mother-in-law Giribala Singh, a retired judge, have been named as accused in the case.
While Samarth has been missing since his wife's death, his mother had openly made accusations that Twisha was addicted to marijuana, and her family had disowned her after pushing her into the glamour industry.
"There is nothing about drugs in the post-mortem report. In our investigation too, we have not found any such things," said Kumar.
The commissioner also denied there was a delay in firing the FIR. On her family's claim that Bhopal Police withdrew approval for a second autopsy, he said the police cannot give such approval.
"We are not the approval-giving authority. If they want a second post-mortem done, they must approach the court. Their family member wanted a second post-mortem, so I told them that we don't have an objection and made their application part of our case diary. That's what police can do," he said.
Read: Probe Into Twisha Sharma's Death Under Scanner Over A Belt, Mix-Ups In FIR
Twisha's family has so far refused to receive her body from the mortuary, firm on their demand for a second post-mortem. Asked if the police are trying to convince them to perform her last rites, Kumar said the role of the police is limited here.
The commissioner also admitted lapses over the belt allegedly used by Twisha to hang herself not reaching the post-mortem table and assured that a separate inquiry will be held into it.
"When we came to know about it, the belt was sent to the hospital, and they gave us a report. It will not have any adverse impact on our investigation," he added.
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