Shashi Tharoor: Minister's wife Sunanda Pushkar 'found dead' Published duration 17 January 2014

media caption The BBC's Shilpa Kannan in Delhi says the pair were a ''very high profile couple''

The wife of Indian minister Shashi Tharoor has been found dead, following reports that he was having an affair, Indian media have said.

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

The couple 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".

Mr Tharoor married Ms Pushkar, a former Dubai-based businesswoman, in 2010.

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

Ms 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 her husband had informed the police of her death. It was unclear how she died.

Ms Tahrar, who denied having an affair with the minister, tweeted after she heard of Ms 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."

Mr 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.

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

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