Sunanda Pushkar's Death — Lessons to Be Learned?

What happened to Sunanda Pushkar?

Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress MP and former minister Shashi Tharoor, was found dead in a Delhi hotel room on January 17, 2014. The initial autopsy report said the death was "sudden and unnatural," with drugs found in her system — but the exact cause was not conclusively established at the time.

What was the context of her marriage?

This was her third marriage. Her relationship with Tharoor had been under public scrutiny — Tharoor's previous marriages and relationships were the subject of much media coverage, and a very public Twitter spat had just erupted over Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar. Sunanda had also been diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disorder. People suffering from lupus can experience depression and other complications, and the combined stress of illness and a marriage crisis may have taken a heavy toll. The full truth may be hard to know.

Was it murder or suicide?

That was the question India debated — and it remained unresolved for years. The Delhi Police conducted a long investigation. In 2018, Tharoor was charge-sheeted on charges of abetment of suicide and cruelty, which he denied; the trial has been proceeding through the courts.

What can women learn from this?

The original 2014 article drew this lesson: stay away from chronic philanderers. They tend to get bored and move on to someone else. It is in the nature of a woman in such a relationship to blame herself — judge her looks, her habits — but the problem is not her; it is the person she is with. The sooner a woman in such a relationship realizes this, the better it is for her.

A sad end to a sad chapter. Whatever the courts ultimately decide, Sunanda's death remains a reminder that behind the political headlines was a woman under enormous strain — from illness, from public exposure, and from a failing marriage.

Editor's note: this article was written three days after Sunanda Pushkar's death. The original version stated a definitive cause of death; that has been corrected, as the cause remained contested. The 2018 charge-sheet and ongoing trial are included as verified later developments. One dead link has been removed.