Disha Salian death: Mumbai police oppose father’s plea for fresh probe by reiterating suicide conclusion

Seeking dismissal of the plea, a senior officer of the Malvani police station stated that a closure report had been filed in the case, and findings of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted in 2023, related to the circumstances that caused her death are consistent with the findings of the earlier investigation. The SIT is carrying out further investigation, the officer stated.

However, petitioner Satish Salian, in his rejoinder to the police’s affidavit, claimed that the high court, on April 30, directed the state government, through its chief secretary, to file a reply to the plea. Instead, an “unauthorised and biased” response by a “conflicted officer” of the Malvani police was filed, he alleged.

An affidavit in reply filed by Shailendra Raghunath Nagarkar, senior Police Inspector of the Malvani police station, stated that an accidental death report (ADR) was registered on June 9, 2020. After the probe, the then investigation officer filed a closure report, which a special executive magistrate accepted on February 4, 2021. The officer added that contentions in the father’s plea are “baseless and unfounded”, while maintaining that Disha Salian died by suicide.

The affidavit further claimed that the statements of the witnesses “revealed that the deceased was under tremendous mental stress due to dispute with her family as well as her business deals (that) could not be materialised”.

The officer further stated that the closure report was based on scientific investigation and post-mortem report and “it is conclusive in nature and mentions no signs of sexual and/or physical assault”.

The police further stated that, following several questions raised regarding the ADR, the state government established an SIT in December 2023.

The SIT, as per the affidavit, reinvestigated the ADR. During the probe, all important witnesses were recalled, CCTV footage was carefully observed again, and call detail records (CDR) of important witnesses were carefully analysed, it added.

“So far, the findings of SIT pertaining to the circumstances that caused deceased Disha Salian’s death are coherent with the finding of an earlier investigation officer of the said case. However, further investigation is still being carried out by the SIT,” the affidavit added.

The police further said there was “no corroborative evidence to substantiate the claims raised in the petition” and there is “no room for suspicion as against the investigation” and there were” no grounds to initiate probe for allegations of gang rape.

The probe has been conducted following “fair and impartial procedures”, and based on the post-mortem report, which “concludes the cause of death due to head injury with multiple injuries (unnatural),” the police said.

Meanwhile, Aaditya Thackeray, through an intervention application, sought to be heard in the matter and said that the petitioner has “relied upon false, baseless and hearsay allegations”.

A bench of Justices Ajey S Gadkari and Rajesh S Patil adjourned the hearing on the plea by two weeks.