Accused set free, a dangerous precedent: Father of woman found dead in Bhopal

Twisha Sharma's family protested outside Chief Minister Mohan Yadav's residence on Sunday. Her father said that he will set himself on fire if justice was not delivered.

In Short

• Twisha Sharma's family protests outside CM residence, seeking justice
• Family alleges abuse, demands fresh AIIMS Delhi post-mortem and probe
• Father threatens self-immolation, claims accused family influencing investigation

The family of 31-year-old Twisha Sharma, who was found dead under suspicious circumstances at her home in Bhopal on Tuesday, staged a protest outside the residence of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Sunday. Alleging it was a planned murder and that evidence was destroyed to conceal the crime, the family demanded justice and a fresh post-mortem examination at AIIMS Delhi.

Twisha's family has accused her husband and in-laws of prolonged mental and physical abuse. They refused to perform her last rites unless their demands were met.

Her father, Navnidhi Sharma, said while speaking to India Today TV, "The accused are able to secure anticipatory bail. This is going to set a dangerous precedent that lawyers are going to use in the future, arguing that someone who has been accused of a crime like this can be granted bail. They have got bail even before the trial could start. The judge's family is using their influence. This is very unfortunate. The law treats people according to their reputation".

He also threatened to set himself on fire in front of the chief minister's house if justice was not served.

"I will die here in front of the CM house. I will set myself on fire if justice is not served".

On Sunday, Twisha’s family remained stationed outside the CM House for several hours under the scorching sun, insisting on a direct meeting with the chief minister.

Police officials and senior officers attempted to persuade them to hold discussions with administrative authorities, but the family refused to leave without assurance from the chief minister himself.

The family has also alleged that Twisha's in-laws were trying to influence the probe, and demanded that their daughter's body be preserved properly for post-mortem purposes.

Navnidhi Sharma, added, "We were unable to meet the Chief Minister, as he was occupied with a visiting delegation. However, we spoke to his OSD, who acknowledged that there were deficiencies in the police investigation. We also requested that Twisha’s body be preserved at minus 4 degrees Celsius, as the current temperature of 4–5 degrees will lead to decomposition".

He claimed that this was happening at the behest of the accused. "We will now approach the court again to seek an order to lower the temperature to preserve the body".

"The irony is that we are being forced to seek help from the very people against whom we are fighting," Twisha's father, Sharma added.

While refusing to perform Twisha Sharma’s last rites, alleging foul play in her death and questioning the credibility of the ongoing investigation, the family has also demanded a second post-mortem examination and claimed the initial report from AIIMS Bhopal was unsatisfactory.

Navnidhi Sharma further alleged serious lapses in the police investigation, claiming that the FIR was registered two days after his daughter’s death and no arrests have been made so far.

He added that the family had lost faith in the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the police and demanded that the matter be investigated under the supervision of the Supreme Court.

According to the family, Twisha’s body bore injury marks on her hands and ears, raising suspicion of murder and destruction of evidence. The family alleged that the case was being projected as a suicide despite several unanswered questions.

Police said an SIT has been formed to investigate allegations of dowry harassment, assault and destruction of evidence against Twisha’s husband Samarth Singh and his mother, retired judge Giribala Singh. Assistant Commissioner of Police Rajneesh Kashyap is leading the SIT probe.

Katara Hills police station in-charge Sunil Dubey said the main accused, Samarth Singh, is currently absconding and efforts are underway to arrest him.

He added that police would challenge the interim bail granted to the retired judge and continue legal proceedings in the case. Dubey also said that if the family continued to refuse to accept the body despite court procedures, authorities would proceed with the cremation as per legal provisions.

Twisha Sharma, originally from Noida, was found hanging at her marital home in Bhopal’s Katara Hills area on the night of May 12.

She had reportedly married Bhopal-based lawyer Samarth Singh in December 2025 after meeting him through a dating application in 2024.

Her family claims she wanted to leave Bhopal and return to Noida. Relatives also said she remained in contact with them till shortly before her death. Twisha’s brother Harshit Sharma serves as a Major in the Indian Army.

A local court has already granted anticipatory bail to retired judge Giribala Singh, while the hearing on Samarth Singh’s anticipatory bail plea is scheduled for May 18.

- Ends
with inputs from Dharmendra Sahu