Bhopal Police has asserted that actress and former model Twisha Sharma died by suicide and was not murdered, even as her family continues to allege dowry harassment and criminal involvement by her husband Samarth Singh and mother-in-law Giribala Singh.
Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar said the post-mortem report and evidence collected so far point towards "anti-mortem hanging" and confirmed that no signs of drug use were found, rejecting claims made by the mother-in-law that Twisha was addicted to marijuana. Authorities also clarified that a second post-mortem can only be approved by a court, though the family's request has been included in the case diary.
Twisha Sharma was found hanging at her matrimonial home in Bhopal on May 12. Her family has accused her in-laws of mental harassment linked to dowry demands and has refused to accept her body until a second post-mortem is conducted. Police also admitted procedural lapses regarding the belt allegedly used in the hanging not initially reaching the post-mortem table and said a separate inquiry would be conducted.
Meanwhile, absconding husband Samarth Singh has moved the Madhya Pradesh High Court seeking interim bail after his earlier plea was rejected by a Bhopal district court. Police have intensified the search for him, increasing the reward for information leading to his arrest from Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000 and issuing a lookout notice to prevent him from leaving the country.
Co-accused Giribala Singh was granted interim bail by a Bhopal court, a decision Twisha Sharma's family has said it will challenge before the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The state government has also ordered a separate inquiry against Giribala Singh under the Consumer Protection Rules, 2020.
(With inputs from IANS)
