Rohit Shekhar Tiwari, son of former Uttarakhand chief minister ND Tiwari, died of "asphyxia" as he was strangulated and smothered, his autopsy report revealed.
Following the postmortem at AIIMS in New Delhi, police on Thursday, 18 April, registered a case of murder and transferred it to the Crime Branch for investigation, a senior officer said, as per PTI.
Meanwhile, the Delhi crime branch is questioning Rohit’s wife in the matter, news agency ANI reported.
The autopsy was conducted by a medical board comprising five senior doctors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
"The medical board unanimously concluded that the cause of death in this case is asphyxia as a result of strangulation and smothering. It is a sudden unnatural death, placed in the category of homicide," the head of the AIIMS' forensic department, Dr Sudhir Gupta, said.
Crime Branch Officers Question Rohit’s Kin, Domestic Help
Crime Branch officers visited Rohit's residence on Friday and questioned his family members and domestic helps, police said, adding that a team of forensic experts also visited the house.
The officers are going through footage from CCTV cameras installed in and around the house to find leads, ascertain the sequence of events and track people who entered the house, they said.
A crime branch officer told IANS that a case of murder has been registered.
"All possible angles, including a property dispute between Rohit Shekhar Tiwari and his brother Sidharth, are being investigated. It was found that the family has property worth crores of rupees in Uttrakhand and Delhi," said the officer.
Rohit, son of the late Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh chief minister had died on Tuesday, 16 April. He was 40 years old.
DCP (South) Vijay Kumar had said that Rohit, a resident of Defence Colony in south Delhi, was brought to the hospital around 5 pm on Tuesday in an ambulance, where doctors declared him dead.
Rohit was the biological son of ND Tiwari and Ujjwala Tiwari, whom the former CM married in 2014.
‘Rohit Didn't Share Cordial Relations With Wife’
Rohit did not share a cordial relationship with his wife and was apparently upset over his political career not taking off, according to his mother.
She also said Shekhar had recently visited the place where his father, former Union minister ND Tiwari, was cremated.
“It is shocking to learn that my son was murdered. What do I say? Let the mourning end. Why was Rohit not woken up when he was sleeping till 4 pm (on Tuesday)?” his mother Ujjwala asked.
She said Shekhar (40) and his wife did not share a cordial relationship and "they had issues since day one of their marriage".
Shekhar and his mother went to Haldwani to cast their vote on 11 April. They were supposed to return to Delhi on 12 April, but changed their plan after Shekhar said he "wanted to meet his people".
“Shekhar said he wanted to meet his own people and visit the place where his father was cremated – Chitrashila Ghat (in Ranibagh). We stayed in a small resort in Ranibagh. After visiting the ghat, we went to Neem Karoli baba to seek blessings,” she recalled.
"He said to me, 'Why's my (political) career not taking off? Even those who don't have experience and are not capable enough are getting tickets. I will seek blessings of the baba so that I can take my father's political legacy forward'," she said.
Earlier, speaking right after Rohit’s death, Ujjwala had said, “His death is natural. I have no suspicion but I will reveal later what circumstances led to his death.”
His mother was also admitted to the same hospital where she received a call from their home about her son being "unwell and bleeding from nose", he said.
“Max Hospital received an emergency call from the residence of Rohit Shekhar Tiwari at 4:41 pm this afternoon. An ambulance brought Tiwari to Max Hospital, Saket, where he was declared brought dead at the emergency department. As per established procedure, we have informed the authorities.”Hospital statement.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat expressed "deep sorrow" at the untimely death of Rohit Tiwari.
He prayed for "peace to the departed soul" and courage and strength to the bereaved family members to bear the loss.
Rohit had fought a court battle with his father, who breathed his last at the age of 93 on 18 October last year, to prove that he was his son.
After the matter went to court and a DNA test was conducted, Tiwari eventually accepted that he was Rohit’s father in 2014.
Rohit Tiwari had joined the BJP ahead of the 2017 Uttarakhand Assembly polls and recently indicated he could join the Congress.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI)
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