‘Attempts to malign me, will respond in Court’: Aaditya Thackeray on allegations in Disha Salian death

The petition further alleged that a politically motivated cover-up was carried out to protect influential individuals.

“Attempts have been made for the last five years to malign my image. We will present our side in the court and respond to the allegations there,” Thackeray, a former Maharashtra minister, told reporters.

Disha Salian died on June 8, 2020, after reportedly falling from the 14th floor of a residential building in Malad. The Mumbai Police had initially registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR). Six days later, Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Bandra apartment, in what was ruled a suicide.

Targeting Thackeray, BJP minister Nitesh Rane cited Supreme Court rulings and claimed that if a person faces allegations of rape, they should be arrested. He also demanded Thackeray’s resignation as an MLA. “We have demanded this in the House (assembly),” Rane told reporters.

In response, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve, leader of the opposition in the legislative council, accused the BJP of orchestrating the allegations against Thackeray and said the government was free to conduct an investigation.

NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad also questioned the timing of the allegations, asking why Disha Salian’s father had remained silent for five years. “This is purely political,” he said.

What investigations have found so far

As the controversy around Salian’s death resurfaced, Mumbai police maintained that their investigations found no evidence of foul play.

During the December 2023 Maharashtra Assembly session, BJP leader Nitesh Rane raised the issue, prompting the Mahayuti government to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Additional Police Commissioner Rajiv Jain. However, SIT sources told The Indian Express that despite issuing multiple summonses to those alleging foul play—including Salian’s family members and Rane—no one came forward to record statements, leading to a dead end.

Mumbai police had previously closed the case in 2021, stating that neither their inquiry nor the CBI’s probe into Sushant Singh Rajput’s death found any connection or evidence of criminal involvement in Salian’s death. Allegations on social media, including claims that she attended parties with politicians or was pregnant, were debunked by CCTV footage, post-mortem reports, and witness statements.

An officer involved in the investigation stated that Salian was distressed over financial losses and that friends at the party the night she died had attempted to console her. The officer also refuted claims that she was found without clothes, citing her father’s own statement from the scene.

Despite these findings, allegations surrounding her death persist, with political leaders using the case to target rivals.

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