3 min readBhopalUpdated: May 20, 2026 01:14 PM IST
As the family of model and actor Twisha Sharma continues to press for a second postmortem, Bhopal police have now formally written to her father, saying that the body could begin decomposing because the required ultra-low temperature storage facility is unavailable at AIIMS Bhopal.
On May 12, Twisha was found dead at her matrimonial home in Bhopal’s Katara Hills area. Her husband, advocate Samarth Singh, and mother-in-law, retired district judge Giribala Singh, have since been booked.
In a letter dated May 20 issued by the Station House Officer of Katara Hills police station, police informed Twisha’s father, Navnidhi Sharma of Greater Noida, that her body has remained in the mortuary since the postmortem conducted on May 13 in connection with a case registered under provisions of dowry death and cruelty against the husband, Samarth Singh, and his mother, retired judge Giribala Singh.
The letter states that the body is currently being stored at -4°C in the AIIMS Bhopal mortuary. However, citing a communication from the Forensic Medicine and Pathology Department of AIIMS Bhopal dated May 18, police said the hospital had warned that the body should ideally be preserved at -80°C to prevent decomposition, a facility that is not available at the institute.
“The body is presently kept at -4°C in the AIIMS Bhopal mortuary room. The FMP Department of AIIMS Bhopal has informed that in order to prevent decomposition, the body should be kept at -80°C, and this facility is not available at AIIMS Bhopal,” the letter states.
The communication comes amid an escalating dispute between the family and investigators over the circumstances surrounding Twisha’s death. Her family has sought preservation of the body and demanded a second postmortem, alleging inconsistencies in the first autopsy and lapses in the police investigation.
Police, however, reiterated in the letter that they had “no objection” to a repeat postmortem. At the same time, the SHO warned that since the body had remained in the mortuary for a prolonged period, “there is every possibility of decomposition,” and requested the family to take custody of the body.
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The development follows remarks by Bhopal Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar, who said that the investigation so far “points towards suicide and not murder.” He had also stated that the family’s request for a second postmortem had been made part of the case diary and that police had no objection if the court ordered another autopsy.
Twisha’s postmortem report documented a double ligature mark on the neck along with multiple bruises and abrasions on the arms, forearm and finger, findings that have since become central to the family’s demand for an independent review of the autopsy.
