AIIMS report links gymnastics belt to Twisha Sharma's death, finds skin tissue on alleged ligature
The investigation into former model and actor Twisha Sharma's death has taken a major turn after AIIMS Delhi's final forensic report reportedly concluded that the gymnastics belt recovered during the probe is consistent with the injuries found on her neck. The medical board also detected Twisha's skin tissue on the belt, strengthening its assessment that the object could have been the ligature used in the incident.
The findings are expected to become a key piece of scientific evidence in the CBI's investigation into the 33-year-old's death, which was transferred to the central agency following directions from the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
According to sources, the five-member forensic board at AIIMS Delhi submitted its detailed report to the CBI on July 10 after carrying out a court-directed second post-mortem. The examination was ordered after questions were raised over the initial autopsy conducted at AIIMS Bhopal.
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The latest forensic opinion reportedly states that the injury pattern on Twisha's neck corresponds with the recovered gymnastics belt, which has a metal ring attached at one end. Laboratory and histopathological examinations also detected skin tissue on the belt, with experts concluding that the findings were consistent with the ligature marks observed during the second autopsy.
The first post-mortem had described the cause of death as ante-mortem hanging by ligature and also documented multiple ante-mortem injuries. However, the alleged ligature material was not available before the first medical board, preventing experts from examining whether it matched the injuries.
Police later recovered the gymnastics belt and submitted it to the AIIMS Delhi medical board for forensic evaluation.
Dr. Sudhir Gupta, Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at AIIMS Delhi, said the board carried out an extensive scientific assessment before finalising its opinion. According to him, experts examined every aspect of the case over nearly a month, consulting both national and international forensic literature before arriving at what he described as a scientifically justified conclusion. He declined to discuss the findings further, citing the court's directions, as the report has been submitted to the CBI in a sealed cover.
The report, along with the required compliance documents, has also been forwarded to the Registrar General of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Meanwhile, the videography of the second post-mortem remains with the investigating agency.
Twisha, who married lawyer Samarth Singh in December last year, was found hanging at her marital home in Bhopal on May 12. According to the FIR, she was taken to AIIMS Bhopal by her husband, who informed doctors that she had allegedly died by suicide at home earlier that night. However, hospital records later indicated that she had been brought to the hospital dead, after which a medico-legal case was registered.
The FIR also refers to statements made by Twisha's family. They told investigators that she had spoken to her mother shortly before the incident. During the conversation, they alleged, shouting could be heard in the background before the call disconnected abruptly. When repeated attempts to contact her failed, a family member alleged that Twisha's mother-in-law answered the phone and informed them that she was no longer alive.
Twisha's family has accused her husband and in-laws of dowry harassment, mental cruelty and domestic violence, allegations they claim ultimately drove her to take the extreme step. They also questioned the handling of the initial investigation and post-mortem, prompting the High Court to order a second forensic examination by AIIMS Delhi and later transfer the investigation to the CBI.
With PTI inputs