Mumbai, March 20: Aditya Thackeray, leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), responded sharply to critics in the ongoing Disha Salian death case, accusing them of attempting to defame him for the past five years. Thackeray emphasized that, as the matter is in court, he would limit his comments to legal proceedings. This follows a petition by Disha Salian's father, Satish Salian, who approached the Bombay High Court requesting an investigation into his daughter's death and the registration of an FIR against Aditya Thackeray, among others.
Thackeray remarked, "A lot of people have tried to defame me over the last five years. If the matter is in court, we will speak there." He also criticized the Maharashtra government, claiming his party had exposed their false promises, particularly concerning the budget. Thackeray attacked the BJP, calling their Hindutva stance "fake" and accusing them of using Aurangzeb as a diversion. He thanked the RSS for bringing sense to the BJP.
Disha Salian, the former manager of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died in June 2020. Satish Salian's petition urges the court to transfer the investigation to the CBI and register an FIR against Aditya Thackeray. Disha was found dead on June 8, 2020, just days before Sushant's death. In 2023, Mumbai Police formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe her death, which was initially registered as an accidental death.
Sushant Singh Rajput, 34, was found dead at his Bandra residence on June 14, 2020, and his case was handed over to the CBI. The postmortem report listed asphyxia as the cause of death.
Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane defended the allegations, asking if Disha's father was lying. He also criticized Uddhav Thackeray for allegedly seeking help from Narayan Rane in the matter. Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske added that Disha's father had mentioned being pressured, suggesting evidence was being concealed. Mhaske also named individuals like Ekta Kapoor and Dino Morea, urging that their phone records be checked.
Mhaske claimed that if Thackeray and Sanjay Raut were innocent, they should demand an inquiry into the case. He noted that Raut, once opposed to Thackeray, now refrains from speaking against him due to party allegiance.
