Mumbai Police Asserts No Foul Play in Disha Salian's Death Amid Ongoing Investigation

Mumbai Police's Statement on Disha Salian's Case

On Wednesday, the Mumbai Police informed the Bombay High Court that they found no evidence of foul play in the death of Disha Salian, who was the former manager of the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, according to reports.

Disha Salian reportedly died by suicide on June 8, 2020, after falling from the 14th floor of a building located in Malad, Mumbai. Just six days later, Rajput was discovered dead in his home. The police had closed the investigation in 2021, concluding that there was no indication of foul play in her death.

However, her father, Satish Salian, approached the Bombay High Court in March, requesting a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into her death and the initiation of a first information report against Aaditya Thackeray, a leader from the Shiv Sena party.

In his petition, Satish Salian alleged that his daughter was a victim of gang rape and murder, claiming that there was a politically motivated cover-up to protect influential individuals.

Initially, Satish Salian believed the investigation was legitimate but later suspected it was a cover-up, as reported.

During a hearing on Wednesday, an officer from the Malvani police station submitted an affidavit stating that a closure report had already been filed. The Malvani Police were the first to investigate the case.

The affidavit further indicated that the findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), established by the Maharashtra government in 2023, aligned with the original investigation's conclusions regarding Disha Salian's death.

According to the officer's statement, Disha Salian voluntarily jumped from the window of her apartment, resulting in her death by suicide.

The officer also noted that the SIT's investigation is still ongoing.

On Wednesday, Satish Salian submitted a response to the police affidavit, asserting that the court had instructed the state government to respond to his petition by April 30 through its chief secretary.

He claimed that an 'unauthorized and biased' affidavit was submitted by a 'conflicted officer' from the Malvani Police.

Satish Salian also argued that the SIT was investigating allegations of gang rape and murder without first filing an FIR, which he deemed illegal.

The court is scheduled to hear the case again on July 16.

Meanwhile, Aaditya Thackeray has filed an application to intervene in the case, asserting that the petitioner has relied on false and unsubstantiated claims.

On Thursday, Thackeray refrained from commenting on the police affidavit that denied any foul play, stating that he chose silence despite attempts to tarnish his reputation.

In December 2022, Disha Salian's death was brought up in the Maharashtra Assembly by MLAs from the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde, who was the chief minister at that time.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who served as deputy chief minister then, announced in the Assembly that an SIT would be formed to investigate the case.

However, Thackeray accused the government of raising the issue to distract from the Nagpur Improvement Trust controversy.

The opposition alleged that in April 2021, Shinde, who was the urban development minister at the time, allocated over 4.5 acres reserved for slum dwellers at a low price to 16 private individuals, despite the matter being under judicial review.

At that time, Disha Salian's parents expressed their opposition to the establishment of the SIT.

“Will the SIT bring back our daughter?” her parents questioned. “Why is this happening? The Mumbai Police has already closed the case. Numerous investigations have been conducted, so why reopen it?”