Disha Salian case: Amid protest, Aaditya Thackeray says will reply in court

Members of the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance on Thursday raised the Disha Salian death controversy in both houses of Maharashtra legislature, leading to heated exchanges, even as Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said he would give reply to the allegations against him in the court.

A day after Disha's father Satish Salian demanded a fresh probe in her death, the issue was raised by Ameet Satam (BJP) in the Assembly. 

Disha, former manager of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died or was killed on June 8, 2020, Satam said.

 

"Police termed the death as suicide....An SIT was formed in December 2022, but no report has been submitted yet. But social media is full of speculation about whether a party was going on when she died, whether she was killed,' he said.

'Salian's father has said he suspects his daughter was gang-raped and murdered. He has filed a petition. The previous MVA government suppressed the case. The then Mayor met him, misled him, and pressurized him not to speak. He has said a minister in the MVA regime was involved,' Satam added.

Satish Salian had said on Wednesday that his petition in the High Court demands registration of an FIR against Aaditya Thackeray, who was a minister in the MVA government led by Uddhav Thackeray when Disha died.

Satam sought to know what the special investigation team formed by the previous Mahayuti government had been doing. Will it interrogate the persons named by Satish Salian, the BJP MLA asked.

BJP minister Nitesh Rane demanded to know whether "the former minister" will be arrested.  If they have evidence then they must produce it: Uddhav

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday denied any connection between his family and the Disha Salian case, emphasising that if evidence exists, it should be presented in court.

 

He pointed out that his family has worked for the people for six to seven generations and has no link to this issue. Thackeray also warned that making false allegations can backfire. Uddhav Thackeray said, "If they have evidence then they must produce it in court as this matter is going on in the court. 6 to 7 generations of my family have worked for the people and we have no connection with this issue. If you are making false allegations on someone, then it can boomerang on you too. What happened to the investigation of other cases like murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. His daughter is demanding justice."  Ruckus in Assembly

Shouting slogans, MLAs of the ruling alliance members entered the Well of the House. Speaker Rahul Narwekar then adjourned the house for ten minutes.

Afterwards, Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam said the SIT probe was still going on, and Salian's father has made the state government a party to his petition.

'We will act as per the court orders. Those who are guilty, no matter how powerful they are, will not be spared," he said.

Disha Salian died on June 8, 2020, after falling off the 14th floor of a residential building in suburban Malad. The police registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) case. Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput allegedly committed suicide in his apartment in suburban Bandra six days later.

In the legislative council, Manisha Kayande (Shiv Sena) and Pravin Darekar (BJP) raised the issue through a point of information.

Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve, who belongs to the Sena (UBT), objected, calling it a politically motivated case.

"The government can conduct inquiries and even set up another SIT, but same rules should apply to the suspicious death of Pooja Chavan," he said, referring to the death of a young woman in Pune in 2021 that led to then MVA minister Sanjay Rathod's resignation. Rathod is a minister in the current BJP-led dispensation too.

Anil Parab, another Sena (UBT) leader, said a case against Aaditya Thackeray was going on for more than a year and a half. "The fresh petition filed by Disha's father is a copy-paste petition.... The CBI has given a clean chit (to Thackeray)," he said.

He also asked why the ruling alliance did not seek resignation of BJP minister Jaykumar Gore, apparently referring to allegations by a woman that Gore sent her objectionable photographs. The minister earlier this month had denied the allegation.

Asked by reporters about Satish Salian's petition, Aaditya Thackeray said attempts were being made for the last five years to tarnish his image. "We will put forth our side in the court. We will give our replies (to the allegations) in the court," he added.

'Disha's death was not accidental but a murder'

Meanwhile, advocate Nilesh Ojha, Satish Salian's lawyer, stated at a press conference on Thursday that Disha's death was not accidental but a murder. Police did not collect any forensic evidence and closed the case as suicide/ accidental death, he claimed.

He also alleged that Aaditya Thackeray and Rhea Chakraborty, former girlfriend of late Sushant Singh Rajput, were friends, and the two were present in Rajput's flat when the actor died.

He demanded that call records of Aaditya and his father Uddhav Thackeray from 2020 onwards be investigated.

While Satish Salian on Wednesday had said he had filed the petition seeking FIR against Aaditya Thackeray over alleged rape and murder of his daughter, advocate Ojha said the petition was in the process of being filed.