Disha Salian issue rocks Maharashtra Assembly; Aaditya Thackeray says he will reply in court-OxBig News Network

Members of the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance on Thursday raised the Disha Salian death controversy in both houses of Maharashtra Assembly, leading to heated exchanges, even as Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said he would reply to the allegations against him in the court.

A day after Disha’s father Satish Salian demanded a fresh probe in her death, the issue was raised by Ameet Satam (BJP) in the Assembly.

Disha, former manager of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died or was killed on June 8, 2020, Satam said. “Police termed the death as suicide…. An SIT was formed in December 2022, but no report has been submitted yet. But social media is full of speculation about whether a party was going on when she died, whether she was killed,’ he said.

‘Salian’s father has said he suspects his daughter was gang-raped and murdered. He has also filed a petition but the previous MVA government suppressed the case. The then Mayor met him, misled him, and pressurised him not to speak. He had said a minister in the MVA regime was involved,’ Satam added.

Satish Salian had said on Wednesday that his petition in the High Court demands registration of an FIR against Aaditya Thackeray, who was a minister in the MVA government led by Uddhav Thackeray when Disha died.

Satam sought to know what the special investigation team formed by the previous Mahayuti government had been doing. Will it interrogate the persons named by Satish Salian, the BJP MLA asked.

BJP Minister Nitesh Rane demanded to know whether “the former minister” will be arrested. Shouting slogans, MLAs of the ruling alliance members entered the well of the House. Speaker Rahul Narwekar then adjourned the house for 10 minutes.

Afterwards, Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam said the SIT probe was still going on, and Salian’s father has made the state government a party to his petition.

‘We will act as per the court orders. Those who are guilty, no matter how powerful they are, will not be spared,” he said.

In the legislative council, Manisha Kayande (Shiv Sena) and Pravin Darekar (BJP) raised the issue through a point of information. Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve, who belongs to the Sena (UBT), objected, calling it a politically motivated case.

“The government can conduct inquiries and even set up another SIT, but same rules should apply to the suspicious death of Pooja Chavan,” he said, referring to the death of a young woman in Pune in 2021 that led to then MVA minister Sanjay Rathod’s resignation.

Anil Parab, another Sena (UBT) leader, said a case against Aaditya Thackeray was going on for more than a year and a half. “The fresh petition filed by Disha’s father is a copy-paste petition…. The CBI has given a clean chit to Thackeray,” he said.

He also asked why the ruling alliance did not seek resignation of BJP minister Jaykumar Gore, apparently referring to allegations by a woman that Gore sent her objectionable photographs. Earlier this month, the minister had denied the allegation.

Asked by reporters about Satish Salian’s petition, Aaditya Thackeray said attempts were being made for the last five years to tarnish his image. “We will put forth our side in the court. We will give our replies (to the allegations) in the court,” he added.

Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray denied any link between his son Aaditya and Salian’s death.  “Every time this issue is raised in the session, there is no substance. But if politics is being done in such a bad way, it will hurt everyone…. if you want to make untrue things true, it will boomerang on you,” Thackeray said.

Meanwhile, advocate Nilesh Ojha, Satish Salian’s lawyer, stated at a press conference on Thursday that Disha’s death was not an accident but a murder. Police did not collect any forensic evidence and closed the case as suicide/accidental death, he claimed.

He also alleged that Aaditya Thackeray and Rhea Chakraborty, former girlfriend of late Sushant Singh Rajput, were friends, and the two were present in Rajput’s flat when the actor died. He demanded that call records of Aaditya and his father Uddhav Thackeray from 2020 onwards be investigated.

While Satish Salian said he had filed the petition seeking FIR against Aaditya Thackeray over alleged “rape and murder” of his daughter, advocate Ojha said the petition was in the process of being filed.