NEW DELHI, July 2 � A controversial claim by the head of AIIMS� forensic medicine department that pressure was brought on him to manipulate the post-mortem report on Shashi Tharoor�s wife Sunanda Pushkar, was debunked today by the hospital, in a new twist surrounding the mysterious death, reports PTI.
Rejecting the charge of Sudhir Gupta, who headed a three-member team that did the post-mortem on the body of Pushkar, who died in mysterious circumstances in a hotel in January this year, the AIIMS said it �categorically denies� his claim.
AIIMS spokespersons Amit Gupta and Neerja Bhatla said there was no evidence that any pressure from outside was put on him (Sudhir Gupta) to alter the autopsy report.
The AIIMS rejection of Sudhir Gupta�s claim came a day after reports emerged that he had filed an affidavit before the Central Administrative Tribunal in a service matter, in which he had levelled the allegation.
He had also written to Health Minister Harsh Vardhan against a government move to promote a faculty member which, he alleged, was started under the then UPA government so that he could be removed as the head of the department as he did not change the post-mortem report.
Reacting to media reports, Vardhan said he has sought a detailed report from the AIIMS Director in the wake of Sudhir Gupta�s charge.
With police probe into Pukshar�s sensational death still on, Tharoor sought �clear and definitive conclusion� about the cause of her demise.
