Bhopal dowry death case: Woman's family accuses husband’s kin of using influence to obstruct justice, seek fresh probe
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Bhopal dowry death case: Woman's family accuses husband’s kin of using influence to obstruct justice, seek fresh probe")
File photo of Twisha Sharma with her husband, Samarth Singh. Photograph: (X/@rameshofficial0)
Navnidhi Sharma alleged that his daughter’s death was a case of brutal murder and claimed that the accused family was using its influence to obstruct the investigation using their power.
The father and brother of a 33-year-old woman who was found dead at her husband's residence in Bhopal have accused him and his family of allegedly using their “influence and connections” to obstruct justice. The victim, identified as Twisha Sharma, was found dead under mysterious circumstances at the home of her husband, Samarth Singh, in Bhopal on May 12. Samarth, a lawyer, had reportedly met her through a dating app in 2024, and the two got married in December 2025. Twisha Sharma, a former Miss Pune, was originally from Noida in Uttar Pradesh and she was two months pregnant.
Speaking to NDTV, Twisha's father, Navnidhi Sharma, and her cousin, Ashish Sharma, stated that they have been struggling for justice and running from pillar to post in Bhopal since receiving the news of her death and arriving in the Madhya Pradesh capital. "The moment we realised that our daughter had died, the moment we got the call that she is no more, the three words that were spoken to us, we immediately started from Delhi, from Ajmer, the family came here. And after coming here, all we are seeing, all we have witnessed is horror," Ashish Sharma said.
"When we saw the body of my sister, the injuries that she was carrying, the continuous denial in admitting the crime, the repeated and continuous approach of the police to not get the FIR registered, the continuous struggle that we had, the entire family running from pillar to post, sometimes sitting in one thana, sometimes in the other thana, the women's commission, the mahila thana, the Human Rights Commission, the office of the commissioner of the police, we were made to run from pillar to post," the cousin said.
Twisha's cousin accused that the FIR was registered after three days at 2.30 am on May 15, "that too in a very shoddy manner". She also alleged that the grant of bail went almost uncontested.
"Thereafter, the proceedings conducted under undue pressure in the chamber of the judiciary, the family heckled outside the chamber. What makes the courts getting changed, not once, not twice, thrice, even the fourth time from 9.30 am to 5 in the evening, the courts are getting changed. There must be some certain reason behind it. What was the reason? Have we committed any crime? That a mob of people was just outside the chamber of the justice heckling us, pinching the female members of the family. They commented on the grieving mother that daughters are killing themselves for the sake of money, for extracting money thereafter. It was only when the Indian Army came for our rescue, when we were cordoned, that we felt protected. And more importantly, and beyond our imaginations, the bail was granted," Ashish Sharma said.
When asked whether Twisha Sharma had shared any information related her situation, her father Navnidhi Sharma responded that his daughter "gave indications several times" stating that she was not happy and was in some kind of trouble.
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"As a father, I know that a daughter would only go to him for help when in an extreme situation. She had given indications many times that 'papa, if it does not work out here, I want to come back. I don't want to live with them.' I told her that sometimes wrong decisions happen, and you can come back whenever you want. She had already booked her ticket, but they got it cancelled by force. We had also booked tickets to go to her and bring her back. Those were also cancelled," Navnidhi Sharma said.
Navnidhi Sharma alleged that his daughter’s death was a case of brutal murder and claimed that the accused family was using its influence to obstruct the investigation. He further alleged that a close relative of the family is Justice Satyendra Singh, questioning who would stand up against such influence. He claimed he had insisted on a postmortem examination of his daughter’s body, but alleged attempts were made to pressure him into taking the body for the funeral to conceal the truth. He also accused authorities of delaying the process by asking him to seek judicial permission after initially clearing the postmortem.
"We have lost all hope of getting justice. The Lokayukta is their relative. Many of their people are in the administration. Don't think we will get any help... The police come under the judiciary. It is the judiciary who gives justice. Who will then go against the Lokayukta who has a lot of power? What happens in a situation when the Lokyukta is also linked to a case like this?" Navnidhi Sharma said.
Meanwhile, police have constituted a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe allegations of dowry harassment against Twisha Sharma’s husband, Samarth Singh, and her father-in-law, Giribala Singh. Assistant Commissioner of Police Rajnish Kashyap, who is leading the SIT, told PTI that efforts have been stepped up to locate and arrest Samarth Singh, who has been booked along with Giribala Singh under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to dowry death and harassment. Officials said multiple police teams have been deployed to trace him.
Family demands fresh postmortem
According to the family, Twisha Sharma’s body bore injury marks on her hands and ears, raising suspicions of murder and possible destruction of evidence. They also alleged that the case was being portrayed as a suicide despite several unresolved questions. Meanwhile, a local court has granted anticipatory bail to Giribala Singh, while the hearing on Samarth Singh’s anticipatory bail plea is scheduled for May 18.
Katara Hills police station in-charge Sunil Dubey said efforts are ongoing to arrest Samarth Singh and that police will challenge the bail granted to Giribala Singh while continuing legal proceedings in the case. He also said that if the family continues to refuse to accept the body despite court procedures, authorities would proceed with the cremation in accordance with legal norms.
The family’s protest outside the chief minister’s residence, its demand for a fresh postmortem at AIIMS Delhi, and its refusal to perform the last rites have once again brought attention to the allegations, the investigation, and the pending legal proceedings. Adding to the mystery is a message Twisha reportedly sent to a friend before her death, saying, “I am trapped.”
