After 12 Days Of Agonising Wait, Twisha Sharma's Body Handed Over To Grieving Family

Bhopal: Former Miss Pune Twisha Sharma's body was handed over to her family on Sunday, 12 days after she died under mysterious circumstances at her husband's home in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

Her body was taken over by her grieving family from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhopal mortuary after senior doctors of AIIMS Delhi conducted her second autopsy after serious lapses were flagged in the first post-mortem.

A heartbreaking video showed Twisha's mother Rekha Sharma breaking down in tears outside AIIMS Bhopal. Her brother Major Harshit Sharma and other family members were seen carrying Twisha's body on their shoulders.

Her mortal remains was taken to Bhadbhada Vishram Ghat, Bhopal, where family members and loved ones gathered in huge number to bid her a final farewell.

Twisha's brother Major Harshit Sharma performed rituals of the last rites and lit fire to her funeral pyre.

Lapses In 1st Autopsy

The Jabalpur High Court on Friday ordered a second post-mortem, directing that a specialised team constituted by the Director of AIIMS Delhi conduct the procedure in Bhopal. Justice Avnindra Kumar Singh passed the order after serious concerns were raised regarding the first autopsy report, forensic inconsistencies and gaps in the investigation.

The court directed that Twisha’s body be preserved at minus 80 degrees Celsius till the second autopsy is conducted. Videography of the entire procedure has also been mandated and will form part of the final report.

Here are the 10 lapses in the first post-mortem report:

Incomplete Musculoskeletal Exam: Multiple blunt force injuries were recorded on Twisha’s left arm and forearm, but there was allegedly no detailed dissection of musculoskeletal structures to determine the depth and severity of injuries.

Missing Neck X-ray: Despite the presence of a ligature mark on the neck, no X-ray examination of the neck or cervical spine was conducted.

Questionable Viscera Preservation: Concerns were additionally raised over the preservation of viscera for toxicological analysis despite reportedly no significant findings in stomach contents, leading to allegations that the final opinion may have been deferred.

Inconsistent Findings: The pathology report contradicts the scene, with findings far more consistent with manual strangulation or suffocation rather than hanging.

Height Discrepancy: A glaring error in the report- recording the victim's height as 166 cm when she was actually 176 cm- calls the entire documentation into question.

Undated Injuries: The medical team failed to determine the age of various blunt force injuries found on the body, leaving a timeline of violence missing.

Unexplained Nail Scrapings: While DNA was collected from nail scrapings, the autopsy report offers no documentation or justification for the collection process.

Inadequate Autopsy Team: In direct violation of established medical guidelines, no female doctor was present during the post-mortem of a female victim.

Suspect Absconded: The investigation failed to account for potential injuries or drug influence on the suspect, who has since fled.

Missing Ligature Material: The material used in the alleged hanging was never secured, making it impossible to correlate the object with the injuries sustained.