Twisha Sharma Death Case: AIIMS Delhi Report Finds Skin Tissue On Gymnastics Belt, CBI Examining Findings

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The CBI is studying the final forensic report submitted to the agency by an AIIMS Delhi medical board on the death of former model Twisha Sharma, who was found hanging at her marital home in Bhopal in May.

The report concluded that a gymnastics belt could have been used in the incident, officials said.

The 11-page report, submitted to the CBI in a sealed cover on July 10, confirmed the presence of skin tissue on the alleged ligature material, a gymnastics belt with a metal ring, indicating that it matched the injury pattern on the victim’s neck, sources said.

Twisha, who was married to Samarth Singh last December, was found hanging at her marital home on May 12.

Sources said the CBI is studying the AIIMS medical board report, which was constituted in compliance with an order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court to conduct a second autopsy on Twisha.

The first post-mortem could not confirm the ligature used in the hanging as the belt was not available with the experts, they said.

Police seized the belt later and submitted it for examination to the second medical board led by experts from AIIMS Delhi, the sources said.

According to the FIR, Twisha’s husband, Samarth, took her to AIIMS Bhopal, where he claimed that she had hanged herself at home at 10.20 pm on May 12.

However, a doctor at AIIMS Bhopal informed the police on May 13 that she was brought dead to the hospital, following which a medico-legal case was registered, the FIR said.

In the statement given to police at the time of filing the FIR, Twisha’s family said she spoke to her mother at 9:41 pm.

During the call, Samarth could be heard shouting before the phone was cut abruptly, the family alleged in the FIR.

After repeated calls went unanswered, Twisha’s mother-in-law Giribala Singh, a retired judge, picked up the phone and told Twisha’s sister-in-law that "she is no more", before cutting the call, the FIR alleged.

The first post-mortem report concluded that the death was caused by "antemortem hanging by ligature" and found "multiple antemortem injuries".

However, alleging lapses in the initial investigation and post-mortem, her family approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which ordered a second autopsy by AIIMS Delhi and subsequently transferred the investigation to the CBI.

Twisha’s family had alleged that she was tormented by her in-laws, who were not satisfied with the dowry paid at the time of marriage.

They also levelled allegations of mental torture and domestic violence, which allegedly pushed the 33-year-old former model and actor to the extreme step.

The AIIMS Delhi team conducted the second post-mortem on May 24 and also visited the scene of the incident as part of its investigation.

Declining to disclose the findings of the report, Dr Sudhir Gupta, Head of Forensic Medicine at AIIMS Delhi, said the board undertook an exhaustive scientific evaluation before arriving at its conclusion.

"The medical board deliberated very minutely on the case from all possible angles, took into consideration all available national and international journals for almost one month before giving a detailed opinion with scientific justification. It is a crystal-clear opinion for the CBI and the judiciary in the interest of truth and justice," Gupta said.

He declined to elaborate further, saying the report had been submitted to the CBI in a sealed cover in compliance with the court’s directions.