Bhopal dowry death case: Police face criticism after family alleges lapses in probe

THe law feature add up below scrutiny o'er their handling of the death of former 32-year-old model-actor Twisha Sharma, with the family alleging lapses in the investigation and the Madhya Pradesh government handing the case over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).The actor was found dead at her home in Bhopal’s Katara Hills area on May 12, with her family alleging that she was harassed and abused over dowry.The Bhopal Police on Friday took custody of her husband, Samarth Singh, who had been on the run for over a week, and the Bar Council of India suspended his bar licence, prohibiting him from legal practice with immediate effect. The Madhya Pradesh High Court, meanwhile, has ordered a second autopsy by an AIIMS Delhi team, as requested by her family.The deceased woman’s father alleged that the police did not cooperate with them. Now that the state government has cleared its stand by handing the case to the CBI, the police, who are yet to make any revelation, are supporting their point before the court, he added.“Police registered the case only after 48 hours. We approached the Katara Hills police station the very next day to file a complaint of dowry death and harassment. Why did it take another two days to send the nylon belt used in the crime for forensic examination? The report came five days after her death, yet police shamelessly claimed it was suicide,” the father said.He further questioned why injury marks noted in the post-mortem were dismissed as “general” without proper inquiry. “The CCTV seized from the retired judge’s house shows the date 10 May, but the crime happened on May 12. Why haven’t the police explained the date difference yet? In the post-mortem, my daughter’s height was shown as different. Similarly, different ages were mentioned in the FIR,” he said, adding that the entire investigation was conducted carelessly to weaken the case.The family also criticised the police for failing to arrest the husband for 10 days before he surrendered in a Jabalpur court on Friday. “This shows police were unwilling to arrest him,” the father said.Meanwhile, the retired judge — mother-in-law of the deceased — has alleged that police are acting under pressure from the victim’s family and not conducting a fair probe. “I have given everything to the police yet they are making false accusations that I am not supporting them. They don’t have any evidence suggesting dowry harassment as we transferred ₹7.5 lakh to the daughter-in-law’s account, but they are only considering the transfer of ₹2 lakh,” she said.The retired judge registered her statement with the police on Friday.Bhopal’s Deputy Commissioner of Police Vikas Sehwal said, “All the questions raised by the family members of the victim are part of the investigation. The notices were issued to her on May 13 and 14, summoning her to join the investigation, but she didn’t appear. Even after she was granted anticipatory bail, a notice was sent via WhatsApp on May 20; however, despite having viewed the message, she did not respond. On May 21, when a Sub-Inspector from the Katara Hills Police Station arrived at her residence, her domestic help, Pankaj Jharia, informed him that she was not at home and also refused to accept the notice.”We have included all the points of investigation in the application filed before the high court seeking cancellation of the anticipatory bail granted to the retired judge.In their application, the police argued that the sessions court overlooked crucial evidence, including WhatsApp chats between the victim and her parents, which contained explicit allegations of harassment. They also cited Section 118 of the Indian Evidence Act, which presumes culpability if a woman dies under unnatural circumstances within seven years of marriage, as the victim had been married for five months.The police further accused the retired judge of tampering with evidence. “The CCTV footage was seized by police, but the retired judge selectively leaked edited CCTV footage from her residence on social media, held a press conference to influence public opinion, and failed to cooperate with investigation notices,” said the police.The post-mortem report attributed her death to ligature hanging. “It noted multiple ante-mortem injuries caused by blunt force. Combined with allegations of dowry harassment and domestic cruelty, the case is extremely grave,” said the police in its application.Citing family statements that harassment began soon after marriage, with demands for dowry and aspersions cast on the victim’s character, police said she was allegedly pressured to undergo an abortion in early May after conceiving in April.Police said the victim’s final phone call is considered crucial evidence. “At 9:41 PM on May 12, she called her mother, during which family members reportedly heard her husband shouting in the background before the call was abruptly disconnected. The phone was switched off immediately afterward. At 10:35 PM, the retired judge finally informed the family that the woman was dead. But the police came to know about it at midnight, i.e., via the AIIMS authority. Without interrogation of the accused, investigations can’t be completed,” Bhopal Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Singh said.“Notices have been issued to the retired judge at least four times, but she has failed to cooperate. The investigation now incorporates her call records as part of the probe, as she called 46 people in a short span after the crime,” he added.