Custodial death in Salman Khan firing case: Family refuses to claim body of man found dead in lock-up, seeks CBI probe

The family has sought all the medical reports received from the hospital including his post-mortem report and questioned why the cause of death has been reserved in the post-mortem report.

Anuj Thapan (inset), 32, was lodged in a lock-up at the Mumbai Police headquarters (above), and was rushed after the suicide bid to GT Hospital where he was declared dead, officials said. (Express photos)

Family members of Anuj Thapan, an accused in the Salman Khan firing case who is alleged to have committed suicide in police lock-up on Wednesday, have refused to claim his body. The family has alleged that he had been murdered and that the matter should be transferred to the CBI for further probe. The family also sought all the medical reports from the hospital in the case. Currently, the state CID is conducting the inquiry into the custodial death.

Thapan’s maternal grandfather Jaswant Singh, who reached the city from Punjab said, “The police allowed us to see his body and we feel that the ligature marks on his neck do not indicate suicide, instead he has been strangulated. We do not trust Mumbai Police and want a CBI probe in the matter. Until we don’t receive an assurance that our demands will be met, we will not claim his body.”

Thapan’s post-mortem was conducted at the JJ hospital by a panel of three doctors on Thursday. The report has said no external injury marks were found and has reserved its opinion on the cause of death.

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Singh further said that Anuj worked as a truck helper and would be away for weeks for work, going to several states. When asked about the three cases registered against him, the family said they were unaware about the cases but that he had nothing to do with the Salman Khan firing case. The Mumbai crime branch has said that Thapan was linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

Singh added, “The Mumbai Police called us a few days back and said that Anuj had committed suicide. They asked us to collect his body. We said we cannot afford the money to come this far. Anuj was the sole bread-earner of the family that comprises his younger brother, sister and mother.”

The family has also sought all the medical reports received from the hospital including his post-mortem report. The family further questioned why the cause of death has been reserved in the post-mortem report.

The Mumbai Police has claimed that Thapan was one of the four accused arrested by the crime branch in connection with the firing outside the Bandra residence of actor Salman Khan on April 14.

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The police had last week invoked provisions of the stringent MCOCA Act in the case.

Apart from the four accused, the police have named incarcerated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol as accused in the case.

Soon after firing, Anmol, suspected to be holed up in Canada or US, had claimed responsibility for the firing in a Facebook post.

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