Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 15
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who was last week questioned by police in the case of his wife Sunanda Pushkar\'s murder, Sunday termed as \"false\" reports in a section of media here that he was not cooperating with the probe.

Tharoor\'s reaction came as media persons caught up with him here to seek his comment on the reports in a section of the media here had reported that Tharoor could be arrested as he was not cooperating with the SIT.

\"I was so surprised about the reports that have surfaced in the media. I even asked the SIT (special investigation team) why they are not issuing a denial,\" he said.

\"The SIT said to me that since not a single official of theirs has spoken to the media, they are unable to issue a denial,\" added Tharoor who was in the capital city - part of his Lok Sabha constituency - to take part in the closing ceremony of the 35th National Games that was held here Saturday.

It was in January 17, 2014 that Pushkar was found dead in a plush hotel in the national capital and in January this year, the Delhi Police concluded that she was murdered.

From an interview with Tharoor:

I confess it has not been easy and there are times when it becomes extremely frustrating to see the media spew pure slander in the name of investigative journalism.

It becomes all the more difficult because the sad demise of my wife is a matter of an ongoing investigation and it would be irresponsible of me to make casual statements or engage in debate in the media, leaving aside the fact that it is also an intensely personal matter for myself and our bereaved family.

Unfortunately my silence, which is a matter of procedural exactness and propriety, is being maliciously construed by some as an admission of guilt, and I am being cast as a villain simply because I refuse to allow myself to be drawn into the mediaâ€™s demand for on-screen trials and speculation in the midst of an ongoing police investigation.

Some have gone so far as to call for my resignation â€“ but for what, it is not clear, since I have not been charged with anything. As far as I am concerned, if we are going to become a country in which charges in the media, however unfounded and false, should oblige a politician to give up the trust of his voters, which he has won the hard way through dedicated work and by winning challenging elections, then what kind of a democracy has ours become?

We have rules in this country and we have laws in our society. I have always respected the law, and I shall continue to do so, and I retain the hope that my silence will be vindicated by the law of the land. In matters of conscience, I do not require validation from a hostile media. My conscience is clear and I have faith that the truth - the real truth, and not theories daily dished out for TRPs â€“( Television Rating Point) will triumph.

Reports of my non-cooperation in Sunanda probe false: Tharoor