Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has dismissed the allegations against him in the Disha Salian case and termed it as an attempt to tarnish his reputation. Thackeray has said he will respond all the accusations against him in court.

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Thackeray’s reaction comes a day after Satish Salian, father of celebrity manager Disha Salian moved the Bombay High Court seeking fresh investigations concerning her death in June 2020. Disha’s father accused Aaditya Thackeray of her death. Satish Salian alleged that his daughter was raped and murdered. He demanded that an FIR be registered against Thackeray and that the probe be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Satish Sailan also alleged that a politically motivated cover-up was carried out to protect influential individuals.

Aaditya Thackeray responds

While speaking to reporters on Thursday, the former Maharashtra minister said, “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.”

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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, which was ruled as 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.

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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 allegations' timing and why Disha Salian’s father had remained silent for five years. “This is purely political,” he said.

Who was Disha Salian and why is her father blaming Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray for her death?

Disha Salian’s death ruled as an accident 

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

Back in 2023, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Additional Police Commissioner Rajiv Jain was formed which called the death an accident.

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. There were speculations that Disha was pregnant at the time of her death but the rumours were also debunked as post-mortem report did not suggest so.

Salian was reportedly distressed over financial losses and effected due to lack of work during the Covid 19 induced lockdown. Friends at the party the night she died had attempted to even console her. The officer also refuted claims that she was found without clothes, citing her father’s own statement from the scene.

Sushant Singh Rajput and Varun Sharma mourn former manager Disha Salian's death