Sunanda's death: 'Shocked' Tharoor urges swift probe, gives statement before SDM

New Delhi: Union Minister of State for HRD Shashi Tharoor on Sunday recorded his statement before the SDM who is investigating the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar under mysterious circumstances in a five-star hotel in Delhi.

Tharoor also wrote to the Home Ministry on Sunday calling for a swift inquiry so the truth 'can come out as soon as possible', an official said.

During his over half-an-hour long deposition at Sub-Divisional Magistrate Alok Sharma's office in south west Delhi, Tharoor is understood to have narrated events prior to the death of his wife Sunanda.

Though there was no official word on what the 57-year-old Minister said in his recorded statement, sources said he was asked about the events in the last few days before the death of his wife. The minister left without speaking to the media after recording his statement. Tharoor has offered to extend full cooperation to the investigation.

Earlier in the day, Tharoor wrote to the Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde saying 'he was horrified to read the reckless speculation' about his wife's death, which came after she exposed his alleged adultery with a Pakistani journalist on Twitter.

Tharoor, a former high-flying UN diplomat, pledged his 'full and unstinting cooperation' with investigations into what doctors have described as his wife's 'unnatural, sudden death' on Friday evening.

"Mr. Tharoor has requested the home minister to expedite the inquiry so that the truth behind his wife's death can come out as soon as possible," Tharoor's private secretary Abhinav Kumar told AFP. "He is in a state of shock. He is anxious and keen to know the truth... what happened that day, no one can say," he added.

In his letter, Tharoor said: "In the midst of my mourning, I have finally had a chance to catch up with the media reports and am horrified to read the reckless speculation rampant there.

"I pledge full and unstinting cooperation," said the letter. "Nothing short of the truth will end the indignity to which my wife and I are being subject at a time when all I seek is to be allowed to grieve in private with her and my near and dear ones."

Read here: Driver saw Tharoor arguing with Sunanda

Tharoor found his wife Sunanda Pushkar dead in her five-star room in New Delhi on Friday evening after he returned from a party meeting.

The death was believed to be a tragic twist in a tale of apparent marital strife that has played out in full view of the public in media and on social media.

Tharoor will travel to the holy town of Haridwar for the ceremony after her body was cremated according to Hindu rites on Saturday in the capital, Kumar said.

Read on - Shashi Tharoor and Sunanda Pushkar: What went wrong?

Pushkar died an 'unnatural, sudden death', said doctors who performed an autopsy on Saturday, adding that more tests were needed to determine the exact cause of her death.

Pushkar's body had 'some physical injuries' but it was unclear whether they were related to her death, said Sudhir Gupta, one of three doctors who performed the autopsy.

Pushkar, 52, who was an entrepreneur based in Dubai before she married Tharoor in 2010, had been taking medications for various illnesses including tuberculosis, according to media. The final autopsy report was expected to be submitted to authorities on Monday, Gupta said.

Events began unfolding Wednesday when curious messages appeared on the Twitter account of the thrice-married Tharoor, a former high-flying UN diplomat, novelist and government spokesman.

They showed private exchanges purportedly between the 57-year-old minister (@shashitharoor) and Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar (@mehrtarar), in which she professed her love for him and he said his wife had discovered their relationship.

I'm a victim of conspiracy: Mehr Tarar

Tharoor quickly responded by saying his Twitter account had been hacked, but Pushkar told two newspapers that she was the author of the messages.

Seeking to draw a line under the Twitter row, Tharoor issued a statement Thursday in which he blamed unauthorised tweets and distorted media reports for the 'unseemly controversy'. The statement said the couple were 'happily married'.