Twisha Sharma death: AIIMS submits final report to CBI, gym belt used in hanging

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is examining the final forensic report submitted by an AIIMS Delhi medical board in connection with the death of former model Twisha Sharma, who was found hanging at her marital home in Bhopal in May. Officials said the report concluded that a gymnastics belt could have been used as the ligature in the incident.

The 11-page report, submitted to the central agency in a sealed cover on July 10, confirmed the presence of skin tissue on the alleged ligature material, a gymnastics belt fitted with a metal ring. Sources said the findings indicated that the belt matched the injury pattern observed on Twisha's neck.

Twisha, 33, had married Samarth Singh in December last year. She was found hanging at her marital home on May 12. Sources told news agency PTI that the CBI is studying the findings of the AIIMS medical board, which was constituted following an order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court directing a second post-mortem examination.

The initial post-mortem could not identify the ligature used because the gymnastics belt was not available with the forensic experts at the time. Police later recovered the belt and sent it to the AIIMS Delhi-led medical board for examination.

According to the FIR, Samarth Singh took Twisha to AIIMS Bhopal and informed doctors that she had hanged herself at home at around 10.20 pm on May 12. However, a doctor at AIIMS Bhopal informed the police on May 13 that she had been brought dead to the hospital, following which a medico-legal case was registered.

The FIR further stated that Twisha had spoken to her mother over the phone at 9.41 pm on the day of her death. During the call, her family alleged, Samarth could be heard shouting before the call ended abruptly. After repeated attempts to contact her went unanswered, the FIR alleges that Twisha's mother-in-law, Giribala Singh, a retired judge, answered a subsequent call and informed Twisha's sister-in-law that "she is no more" before disconnecting.

The first post-mortem report concluded that the cause of death was "antemortem hanging by ligature" and also recorded the presence of "multiple antemortem injuries". Alleging lapses in the initial investigation and post-mortem examination, Twisha's family approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which ordered a second autopsy by AIIMS Delhi. The court later transferred the investigation to the CBI.

The family has also alleged that Twisha was subjected to harassment by her in-laws over dissatisfaction with the dowry given at the time of her marriage. They further accused them of mental harassment and domestic violence, alleging that it drove the former model and actor to take the extreme step.

The AIIMS Delhi medical board conducted the second post-mortem on May 24 and also visited the scene as part of its inquiry. Without disclosing the report's findings, Dr Sudhir Gupta, Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at AIIMS Delhi, said the board had undertaken an extensive scientific assessment before arriving at its conclusions.

"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 comment further, stating that the report had been submitted to the CBI in a sealed cover in compliance with the High Court's directions.

The CBI is now examining the forensic report as its investigation into the case continues.

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