Disha Salian death issue rocks Maharashtra Assembly, Aditya says 'attempts to defame me'

Mumbai: The five-year-old incident involving the mysterious death of Bollywood celebrity and talent manager Disha Salian rocked the Maharashtra Legislature on Thursday even as the ruling MahaYuti-NDA ministers and legislators targetted two-time Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray, the son of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

“The Aurangzeb issue has backfire…to come out of it the Disha Salian issue has been raked up…there is some power working behind the petitioner,” Shiv Sena (UBT) chief spokesperson and Thackeray family aide Sanjay Raut said.

“There is no substance in the charges…the matter is in the court…let them go to court,” said Thackeray, who was the CM from November 2019-June 2022 heading the Maha Vikas Aghadi dispensation. “I am telling them that it would boomerang on them in the court,” Thackeray said in the Vidhan Bhavan complex.

“For the last five years they have been trying to defame me. They stand exposed on all counts…the matter is in the court…I will respond in the court,” said Aaditya, a former minister.

Disha (28), it may be recalled, had reportedly died by suicide by jumping from the 14th floor of Galaxy Regent building at Malad in the far western suburbs of Mumbai on the intervening night of June 8, 2020.

Disha’s mysterious death had taken place five days before the dead body of actor Sushant Singh Rajput (34) was found at his rented duplex flat in Bandra in north-west Mumbai on 14 June, 2020.

When the incident took place, the Thackeray-headed Maha Vikas Aghadi government was in power.

The issue came to the fore again after Disha’s father Satish Salian moved the Bombay High Court seeking a fresh probe, an FIR against Aaditya and transferring of the case to the CBI.

“Our daughter was raped and murdered, and subsequently there was a politically-orchestrated cover-up to protect certain influential persons,” Salian told reporters.

“During the murder, Thackeray's government was there (in Maharashtra), and the accused was his son Aaditya Thackeray. The corrupt police officials tried to cover up the case. After 2.5 years, Shinde's government came, and Fadnavis was the Home Minister. This matter has not come all of a sudden,” said Salian family lawyer Nilesh Ohja, adding: “On 12 January 2024, a written complaint was filed accusing Aaditya Thackeray, Suraj Pancholi and others of gang rape. FIR was not registered for more than one year. The affidavit filed by Aaditya Thackeray stated that he was given a clean chit by the CBI in the case. There is also proof that (then Home Minister) Anil Deshmukh didn't want any action.”

In the Assembly, the issue was raised by Ameet Satam (BJP) and Arjun Khotkar (Shiv Sena) and supported by ministers Shamburaj Desai (Shiv Sena)sena and Nitesh Rane (BJP).

“The police termed the death and suicide and no further action was taken. The SIT was formed in December 2022 and no report has been submitted as yet…but social media is full of speculations about whether a party was held when she died, or whether she was killed,” said Satam.

“The truth will come out in the court,” said Rane, the state Fisheries and Ports Minister, who is son of former CM Narayan Rane.

“I have been saying from day one that this was a murder and it should be investigated. The role of Aditya Thackeray should be investigated. From the very beginning, I have been demanding an inquiry into the names that are now being raised by his father in the petition. Now, his father has filed a petition in court, demanding a fresh investigation, and he has explicitly mentioned how the police had tried to protect the son of the then CM,” he added.

In Council, Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve the BJP-led government is free to investigate the case.