The family of 33-year-old Twisha Sharma, who died at her in-laws’ residence in Bhopal, has alleged evidence tampering and procedural lapses in the investigation into her alleged dowry harassment and death.
Twisha, a resident of Noida, was found hanging at her home in Bhopal’s Katara Hills area on May 12, barely five months after marrying Bhopal-based lawyer Samarth Singh.
The marriage had reportedly been arranged after the two connected through a dating app. Her mother-in-law, Giribala Singh, is a retired principal district and sessions Judge.
While police are treating the case as a suicide investigation, Twisha’s family has accused her husband and in-laws of subjecting her to sustained mental harassment over dowry and alleged that crucial evidence in the case was either mishandled or withheld during the post-mortem process.
The controversy has centred around a nylon belt allegedly recovered from the spot, which investigators suspect may have been used in the hanging. According to the post-mortem report prepared at All India Institute of Medical Sciences Bhopal, the investigating officer failed to present the belt before the medical board conducting the autopsy.
As a result, doctors were unable to carry out a scientific examination to determine whether the suspected ligature material matched the marks found on Twisha’s neck, a step experts consider crucial in cases involving death by hanging.
The omission has raised serious questions over evidence handling and investigation procedures.
Twisha’s family has alleged that the lapses were deliberate and aimed at weakening the case. Her relatives staged a protest outside Jantar Mantar on Monday, demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation and an independent medical review.
“We are not satisfied with the post-mortem conducted in Bhopal. We want her medical records to be examined at All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi,” Kunal Chauhan, a friend of Twisha, told reporters.
Twisha’s father, Navnidhi Sharma, has alleged that his daughter faced physical and mental torture soon after marriage. Speaking to NDTV, he claimed Twisha often told her mother she felt “trapped” in the marriage.
He further alleged that the harassment intensified after she lost her job.
“After Twisha lost her job, their taunts started: ‘How will we feed you?’” he said.
Giribala Singh has dismissed the allegations and accused Twisha’s family of conducting a “witch hunt”. In interviews with NDTV and IANS, she claimed Twisha had been undergoing psychiatric treatment and was emotionally disturbed over a medical termination of pregnancy.
"The daughter who was in our house, our daughter-in-law, whom we treated with great respect. We tried till the very last moment to save her life and keep her with us. But the way things are being misconstrued is completely wrong," she said.
The mother-in-law further alleged that Twisha had confessed to consuming marijuana before terminating her pregnancy and had regretted undergoing the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) before her death.
Twisha’s mother-in-law said, "Her family is doing a witch hunt; she was a product of her own troubled personality.”
Police have not yet publicly responded to the allegations of evidence tampering. The investigation is ongoing.