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Disha Salian death case: Satish, father of Disha Salian, said he moved the Bombay High Court seeking a fresh probe into the mysterious circumstances under which his daughter was found dead in June 2020
Disha Salian died on June 8, 2020, after falling off the 14th floor of a residential building in suburban Malad.
Demand for a fresh probe into the death of Disha Salian, former manager of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, has stirred a political row in Maharashtra, close to five years after she died after falling off a high-rise building.
Disha Salian’s father, Satish, has questioned the cause of death in a TV interview and is believed to have approached the Bombay High Court for an investigation into the sensitive case. This development has prompted authorities to increase security outside his residence and drawn a flurry of reactions from leaders across party lines. While Maharashtra ministers said the guilty should be punished, the Shiv Sena (UBT) maintained that it was an attempt to shift focus from the recent violence in Nagpur, where clashes between two groups erupted earlier this week.
According to news agency PTI, Satish Salian said on Wednesday he moved the Bombay High Court for a probe into the circumstances under which his daughter was found dead in June 2020. The petition, he said, urged a First Information Report against (FIR) Aaditya Thackeray—the son of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, and transfer of the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). His lawyer Nilesh Ojha, however, said they were still in the process of filing the petition. At the time of the filing of this report.
News18 couldn’t independently verify if the petition had already been filed.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) questioned the timing of the probe demand and claimed that it was an attempt to shift focus from the events in Nagpur, where stone-pelters ran amok on March 17 after a protest against the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and amid rumours of the desecration of a holy book.
“We don’t know what is there in their petition, but the timing of the petition is crucial. It seems some power is behind the petitioner, and it’s an attempt to sideline the Aurangzeb issue and Nagpur violence issue by focusing on Disha Salian case,” party leader Sanjay Raut said.
Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad said, “The CID report shows that there isn’t a political angle in this case. The police do not have solid proof of murder or rape in this case. I request all political parties not to indulge in such dirty politics.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve said, “I think this matter has gone to the court. We have no idea what he (Disha’s father) has said, but Aaditya Thackeray is a mature leader, a young leader. The Bharatiya Janata Party is conspiring to defame him by putting pressure on him. We don’t need to answer to this conspiracy. The court will answer.”
Meanwhile, Maharashtra minister Sanjay Shirsat said, “Her death was suspicious. Today, her father has openly spoken. He has now approached the High Court. Those found guilty in this case will be sent to jail.”
Yogesh Kadam, Maharashtra’s junior home minister, said: “The honourable court’s order will be followed.”
Rohit Pawar, a legislator from the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar and an ally of the Shiv Sena-UBT, said: “If a person has tried to seek justice for his daughter or woman, we wish they get justice. But what really happened should be known. She died four years ago. The BJP (ruling Bharatiya Janata Party) is doing politics. Politics was done on Sushant Singh Rajput in Bihar for elections. What happened to the special probe team that was formed should also be told.”
Former state home minister and Rohit Pawar’s party colleague, Anil Deshmukh, said: “I am taking information on the plea filed by Disha Salina’s father. All this now looks like a part of a conspiracy.”
Disha’s Death
Disha Salian died on June 8, 2020, after what is known to be a fall off the 14th floor of a residential building in suburban Malad. The city police had then registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) case. Within a week, Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14, 2020. While the city police initially said it was a case of suicide, the case was handed over to the CBI later.
