Don't play Poirot: Russian envoy on death of two compatriots

New Delhi, December 30

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Russia’s Ambassador to India Denis Alipov pushed back at conspiracy theorists, including Congress MP Manish Tewari, for trying to sensationalise the sudden deaths of two Russians — Vladimir Bydanov and Pavel Antov — holidaying in Rayagada, Odisha.

Sudden demise

• Vladimir Bydanov was found dead inside a hotel room in Odisha on December 22
• Pavel Antov ‘died by suicide’ after attending Bydanov’s funeral on December 25

Alipov in particular focused on Tewari’s reference to the French detective Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries.

“Two Christians cremated, not buried! Why? Hercule Poirot says burnt bodies tell no tales,” tweeted Tewari while sharing an article by an American media house which said at least eight prominent Russians, who had turned critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, had died by suicides or accidents.

Tewari also wanted to know why the bodies of the two Russians were cremated and not buried although they were Christians and, in this context, quoted a line by Hercule Poirot —“Burnt bodies tell no tales”. Alipov, while appreciating the investigations by the Indian authorities into the deaths of the two Russians, corrected Tewari by stating that cremations are customary in Russia as are burials. “Meanwhile, it would be useful for some Hercule Poirot lovers to learn that cremation in Russia is as customary as burial. Idleness is the root of all evil,” tweeted the Russian envoy. Antov’s daughter Anna Pavlovna Antova also told the media that cremation is a usual custom in Russia. Anna and Bydanov’s son had given power of attorney to Rayagada police to cremate the bodies of their fathers. The two Russians had died in quick succession at a hotel in Odisha’s Rayagada.