Bhopal police ask Twisha Sharma's family to take custody of body amid decomposition concerns

Station House Officer (SHO) of Katara Hills police station wrote a letter addressing Twisha Sharma's father Navnidhi Sharma on Wednesday, stating that the post-mortem examination was conducted on May 13 in connection with case registered under sections related to dowry harassment and the Dowry Prohibition Act and currently, preserved at minus 4 degrees Celsius in the AIIMS Bhopal mortuary.

Amid growing demands for a second post-mortem in the alleged dowry death case of Twisha Sharma, Bhopal Police requested the victim's family to take custody of her body, citing concerns over possible decomposition due to the absence of ultra-low temperature preservation facilities at AIIMS Bhopal. Station House Officer (SHO) of Katara Hills police station wrote a letter addressing Twisha Sharma's father Navnidhi Sharma on Wednesday, stating that the post-mortem examination was conducted on May 13 in connection with case registered under sections related to dowry harassment and the Dowry Prohibition Act and currently, preserved at minus 4 degrees Celsius in the AIIMS Bhopal mortuary.

"AIIMS authorities reportedly informed police on the night of May 18 that to prevent decomposition, the body should ideally be preserved at minus 80 degrees Celsius, a facility unavailable at the hospital. You had submitted a letter before the Police Commissioner's Office and Katara Hills police station seeking preservation of the body and a second post-mortem examination," the letter read. It further added, "We would like to inform you that the police have no objection to conducting a second post-mortem. But since the body has been lying in the mortuary for a prolonged period, there is a strong possibility of decomposition. Therefore, we humbly request to take custody of the body."

Nonetheless, the victim's family approached the court seeking permission for conducting the second post-mortem of the body as they have doubts in the initial PM report. Earlier, the victim's father said, "Our primary demand is that a second post-mortem examination (PM-2) must be conducted as soon as possible... Because these individuals want the body to decompose and the process to be delayed, hoping that we will become disheartened and leave this place. This investigation should be transferred to a state outside of Madhya Pradesh... There must be an independent investigation conducted under the supervision of the Supreme Court or the Chief Justice of India (CJI)...".

Twisha Sharma (33), a resident of Noida, married Bhopal resident Samarth Singh in December 2025. She died on May 12 and her family has alleged mental torture and dowry harassment by her in-laws. Police registered a case against her husband and mother-in-law, Giribala Singh, who is a retired judge, and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter. (ANI)