Twisha Sharma cremated in Bhopal after second autopsy; 'report compilation to take some time'

The last rites of former actor-model Twisha Sharma, who was allegedly harassed for dowry, were conducted on Sunday evening in Bhopal with her brother, Harshit, lighting the funeral pyre, marking the end of a 12-day ordeal for the family, though their quest for justice continues.

The cremation at Bhadbhada Vishram Ghat followed a gruelling, high-profile legal battle that began on May 12, when the 33-year-old former Miss Pune was found dead at her matrimonial home in Bhopal's Katara Hills, and the second postmortem was conducted by a team of AIIMS Delhi earlier in the day.

As the flames of the pyre rose, the immense emotional toll of the past two weeks finally broke through, and many family members collapsed, weeping inconsolably after days of putting on a brave face to fight for a second postmortem.

The delayed farewell was made possible only after a specialised medical team from AIIMS Delhi conducted a meticulous, second post-mortem at AIIMS Bhopal for nearly four hours, and the procedure focused mainly on preserving evidence and investigating physical injuries that the family alleges were overlooked in the initial local probe.

Chief of Forensic Medicine at AIIMS, Delhi, Dr Sudhir Gupta, meanwhile, said the compilation of the report will take some time as certain laboratory tests, including histopathology and viscera examination, are required.

The team also visited Twisha's residence and the incident spot to carry out assessments related to the case.

Dr Gupta added that the team will return tomorrow (Monday) with the samples, photographs, videos and written findings.

The second autopsy was ordered by the Madhya Pradesh High Court following serious concerns raised by Twisha's parents regarding procedural lapses by local authorities.

Twisha's father, Navnidhi Sharma, struggled for words as he paid tribute to his daughter and also reposed faith in the Supreme Court, which has taken suo motu cognisance of the case.

''She used to take care of us as a mother would. I don't know how we would be able to live without her. This case will set an example in the coming days. A hope for justice has risen as the Supreme Court has taken cognisance,'' he said after bidding final adieu to Twisha.

In a press statement released just hours before the cremation, the Noida-based Sharma family detailed the agony of their long wait, noting that the delay forced them to violate deeply held Hindu traditions, which ordinarily dictate that post-death rituals be completed within a 13-day mourning period.

The family said that for any parent, there can be no greater tragedy than carrying the mortal remains of their young daughter to her final resting place, yet they were forced to endure the agonising ordeal of waiting days just to bid her a final farewell.

During Twisha's cremation, her mother, Rekha, was inconsolable and almost on the verge of passing out. Women mourners around her took her to a lawn nearby and sprinkled water on her face.

Twisha's brother, Major Harshit Sharma, said she was emotional, loving, and caring. He equated her with the first ray of the Sun during dawn that brightens the day.

Retired Major General Shyam Shrivastava, founder of the Vardi Foundation, said that they will ensure that Twisha's family get justice.

''We will fight to the finish,'' he said.

The former Army officer had led a two-wheeler rally seeking justice for Twisha in Bhopal and met the Director General of Police and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.

Former IAS Officer Ajeeta Vajpayee Pandey and leaders from the BJP, Congress, and Samajwadi Party paid their last respects to Twisha.

Twisha (33) was found hanging at her matrimonial home here on May 12, with her family accusing her in-laws of dowry harassment and abetment to suicide. Her in-laws, however, claimed she suffered from drug addiction.

The case has snowballed into a massive national controversy, given the background of the accused.

Twisha's husband, Samarth Singh, is a lawyer, and her mother-in-law, Giribala Singh, is a retired district judge. Following severe public outcry and a protest by Twisha's family outside Chief Minister Mohan Yadav's residence, the legal machinery shifted into high gear over the weekend.

The chief minister had assured the family that the case would be handed over to the CBI.

Samarth Singh was remanded in police custody by a Bhopal court on Saturday.

The apex court has taken rare suo motu cognisance of the case, and a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant is scheduled to hear the matter on Monday.

Twisha's family had requested the medical team of AIIMS Delhi to adopt a multidisciplinary forensic, pathological and radiological approach and independently examine concerns they claimed were not adequately addressed during the first post-mortem conducted in Bhopal.

The team reached AIIMS Bhopal at around 10 am on Sunday. About an hour later, Twisha's second postmortem began after her brother and his wife identified her, advocate Ankur Pandey, who was with a technical team at the facility, told PTI.

The autopsy was completed by 3.40 pm, he said.

The Sharma family had raised several concerns over the circumstances surrounding Twisha's death. They alleged blunt force injuries on Twisha's left arm and forearm, a lack of detailed dissection to determine the depth and age of injuries, and the absence of radiological examination of the neck and cervical structures.

The family also sought a correlation between the alleged ligature material and injuries recorded on the neck and requested a toxicological evaluation of preserved viscera samples.

The representation by the family also urged to examine whether findings relating to the face, eyes and lungs were consistent with hanging, strangulation, suffocation or any other possible cause of death.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)