Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Wednesday assured the family of Noida woman Twisha Sharma that his government would seek a CBI probe into the allegedly suspicious circumstances of her death. This assurance came hours after a Bhopal court dismissed their plea for a second autopsy at AIIMS Delhi.
Court Dismisses Second Autopsy Plea
Judicial Magistrate Anudita Gupta ruled that there were no major omissions or defects in the first autopsy report that warranted a re-examination. The autopsy was conducted at AIIMS Bhopal on May 12, the day Twisha allegedly died by suicide in her marital home in Bhopal’s upscale Katara Hills. Citing a Madras High Court verdict, Gupta stated that the court's “conscience must be satisfied” that a second postmortem was necessary to arrive at the truth. She added, “Minor infractions of procedure will not make the court order a repostmortem.”
Preservation of Body Ordered
The court also noted that the police had not questioned the legality of the AIIMS Bhopal postmortem, and there was no evidence of any collusive or suspicious relationship between the accused and the medical team. It directed authorities to take all possible steps to preserve Twisha’s body. According to the police report, the body is currently stored in the AIIMS Bhopal mortuary at -4 degrees Celsius, while the recommended level is -80 degrees. No facility in Bhopal has such a freezer, the court was informed. Gupta then directed the Station House Officer of Katara Hills police station to immediately obtain information from medical institutions across the state on whether any such facility was available and report back without delay.
Family Meets CM
Twisha's father Navnidhi Sharma, brother Major Harshit Sharma, and Major General Shyam Shrivastava (retd) of the Wardi Social Welfare Foundation met the Chief Minister and expressed satisfaction with the interaction. The family has accused Twisha’s absconding lawyer husband Samarth Singh, son of former district judge Giribala Singh, and in-laws of foul play.
NCW Takes Cognisance
The National Commission for Women (NCW) took suo motu cognisance of the case and sought a report from the Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary and Director General of Police within seven days. Bhopal Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar increased the reward for information leading to Samarth’s arrest from Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000. He stated that police had found evidence suggesting harassment of Twisha by her husband. Kumar denied allegations of delay in registering the First Information Report.
Motorcycle Rally for Justice
Earlier in the day, more than 50 retired personnel of the armed and paramilitary forces took out a motorcycle rally, demanding justice for Twisha and transfer of the investigation outside Madhya Pradesh.
