Congress seeks to dismiss demands for action against Shashi Tharoor in Sunanda Pushkar case

Congress on Wednesday sought to dismiss demands for action against party MP Shashi Tharoor in the wake of Delhi Police registering a murder case into the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar.

"It is a legal process. There should be a sense of balance and restraint. Sensationalising it should be avoided. Every citizen of India has full right to be presumed innocent (till declared otherwise)," party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told reporters.

He said certain questions could also be raised over the delay in filing the FIR under section 302 (punishment for murder) of the IPC. No one has been named as an accused in the FIR. The Congress spokesman was asked several questions on the issue including whether the party was contemplating any action against Tharoor, a former Union Minister and a Lok Sabha member from Kerala.

Singhvi, who is also a senior advocate, expressed surprise over reports that BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had seen the confidential reports concerning the death of Sunanda. He said that even Sunanda's family has not been shown the reports so far.

Meanwhile, another party spokesman Anand Sharma said, "We have seen the (news) reports and it's for the agencies to look into the matter. We should not be speculative or be presumptive. The issue has to be investigated. The Police Commissioner has said they will investigate the matter. There is no final determination."

"What happened was sad and we have a rule of law and I am sure it will be upheld," Sharma added. In yet another twist in his wife's death case, Tharoor has accused Delhi Police of "assaulting" and "intimidating" his domestic help into "confessing" that they both killed her as police said it believes prima facie it is a case of murder.