Salman Khan house firing: Bombay HC finds no foul play in 18-year-old accused’s custodial death

The world has been wanting to know what happened in the firing row that happened outside Salman Khan’s Mumbai residence Galaxy Apartment in April. The incident had shaken the nation, and the investigation was on. Several accused were arrested, and the police were following the procedure to reach a final conclusion and bust the root of the entire row. But the case took a different turn when an accused named Anuj Thapan died in police custody due to alleged suicide amid the investigation. This created an uproar, and the lawyer of the teen has accused the Mumbai Police of foul play. Turns out, in a hearing now, the Bombay High Court has said they have found no proof against the police and that no traces of foul play were observed in the death of Thapan. 

Salman Khan House Firing Row Update

For the uninitiated, Anuj Thapan, the 18-year-old accused, was found dead in the bathroom in the Mumbai Crime Branch Lock-Up on May 1, 2024. His death raised many questions, and a probe was set up to investigate the cause of death and to find if the Mumbai Police was at fault. In the inquiry, CCTV footage was checked, which had Anuj entering a toilet on May 1 in the police lock-up alone, where he was later found dead. The early investigation called this a case of alleged suicide, but his mother, Rita Devi, sought a CBI probe into the matter.

In the hearing, the bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj K. Chavan said that there is no plausible reason in sight why the Mumbai Police would want to harm Anuj Thapan. The court also cleared that he was not the main accused in the Salman Khan house firing case. The court, in their judgment, has asked the lawyer representing Thapan’s mother to review the inquiry report and respond next week, as per Indian Express.

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What Did The Judges Say?

In her demand, Rita Devi has said that the police did not file an immediate FIR after her son Anuj died in police custody. She requested the court to order the police to file an FIR and also demanded a CBI investigation into the case. Replying to her demands and claims, the judges said, "Why, according to you, was the police trying to kill someone who is not even the main accused? An 18-year-old boy. He went to the bathroom alone... He is not even a shooter. What would the police achieve by killing him? We understand the mother's emotions, but we also have to see the circumstances.”

When Rita Devi’s lawyer argued that Anuj was a healthy individual, the judges said, "Physical strength has nothing to do with mental strength. Who knows what circumstances led him to hang himself? None can vouch for anyone. It is a fraction of a moment in which it happens... There could be many reasons. He was poor. He might have thought of lawyer's expenses... he was coming from outside Maharashtra."

Justice Chavan further clarified that the CCTV footage confirms that no one accompanied him into the toilet. So that possibility is ruled out. He even mentioned there were no signs of struggle or resistance too. Justice Mohite-Dere added that the mother will always harbor suspicion because they understand the anxiety and pain of losing a child. But it is the duty of the lawyer to explain the situation to her.

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