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Firing at Salman Khan’s house: HC seeks status report on custodial death probe
One of the accused behind firing at Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s house was found dead in the toilet of Mumbai crime branch’s lock-up on May 1. The police claim it was a suicide but deceased’s mother asserts that he was killed by cops in custody.
The Bombay high court (HC) on Wednesday sought a status report on the inquiry being conducted into the alleged suicide in police custody of an accused arrested in the case of firing outside actor Salman Khan’s residence.
A vacation bench of justices Sandeep Marne and Neela Gokhale also ordered preservation of the CCTV footage of the police station and the call data record of the police officers concerned.
The bench was hearing a petition filed by Rita Devi, mother of accused Anuj Thapan, who died on May 1 inside the toilet of the crime branch’s lock-up in Mumbai.
While the police claim that Thapan killed himself, his mother in her petition filed on May 3 in the HC alleged foul play and claimed that he was killed. In her plea, Devi sought the HC to direct the central bureau of investigation (CBI) to probe the death of her son.
The petition said Thapan was physically assaulted and tortured by the police in custody. On Wednesday, additional public prosecutor Prajakta Shinde told the court that as per law a magistraterial inquiry had been initiated into the death.
An accidental death report (ADR) was filed and the probe into the same was transferred to the state criminal investigation department (CID) on May 3, Shinde said.
Devi’s lawyers insisted for the probe to be transferred to the CBI, claiming that it has been 14 days since the death. The court said it cannot blindly transfer the probe and sought to know the status of both the inquiries.
The court posted the matter for further hearing on May 22.
On April 14, two motorcycle-borne persons opened fire outside actor Salman Khan’s residence in Bandra area of the city. Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, said to be the shooters, were later arrested from Gujarat. Thapan was arrested on April 26 from Punjab along with another person in the case.
So far, six persons have been arrested in connection with the case.
