Sunanda Pushkar: Shashi Tharoor’s wife found dead in Delhi hotel

Indian minister Shashi Tharoor’s wife, Sunanda Pushkar, has been found dead, following reports that he was having an affair with journalist Mehr Tahrar.

Sunanda Pushkar is reported to have been discovered at a hotel in Delhi.

Shashi Tharoor and Sunanda Pushkar became embroiled in controversy over a series of Twitter messages on Wednesday that appeared to reveal he was having an affair with a Pakistani journalist.

They later insisted they were happily married, blaming “unauthorised tweets”.

Shashi Tharoor married Sunanda Pushkar, a former Dubai-based businesswoman, in 2010.

A public row between the couple erupted on Wednesday when messages began to appear on Shashi Tharoor’s Twitter account suggesting he was having an affair with journalist Mehr Tahrar.

Sunanda Pushkar admitted publishing the tweets, but later denied it.

She was found dead in a five-star hotel in Delhi, according to police sources.

Reports said that Shashi Tharoor had informed the police of her death. It was unclear how she died.

Mehr Tahrar, who denied having an affair with the minister, tweeted after she heard of Sunanda Pushkar’s death: “I’m absolutely shocked.

“This is too awful for words. So tragic I don’t know what to say. Rest in peace, Sunanda.”

Shashi Tharoor, a former UN diplomat, was forced to resign from his first ministerial position in 2010 amid controversy over his involvement in bidding for a cricket team.

Sunanda Pushkar had allegedly received a free stake in the Indian Premier League franchise he was bidding for.