Sanjay Raut seeks apology from Maha CM and Minister in Disha Salian death case

Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) A day after Mumbai Police's submission before the Bombay High Court reiterating that Disha Salian, former manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died by suicide, ruling out any foul play, Shiv Sena UBT legislator and former minister Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday said that there have been attempts to defame him by certain people in the last five years.

“I have never answered them, and I will not answer them even today. I will not talk about a subject that I am not related to, that I do not even know about,” he added.

Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut Thursday demanded an apology from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Minister Nitesh Rane over their remarks against Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray in connection with Disha Salian's death case.

“The police report has clearly stated that Aaditya Thackeray had no involvement in Disha Salian's death. Yet, power was misused to malign his image and humiliate him," said Raut.

He further stated that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should apologise to Thackeray. "(BJP MP) Narayan Rane's son, who is also a Cabinet minister (Nitesh Rane), should apologise not only to Aaditya Thackeray but also to the people of Maharashtra," he said.

Nitesh Rane had earlier sought Thackeray’s resignation as an MLA in connection with the Disha Salian case.

When asked about the police submission before the court, Yogesh Kadam, Minister of State for Home, said, “The investigation is still on. No closure report has been filed yet.”

Disha Salian died on June 8, 2020, at a residential building in suburban Malad. Sushant Singh Rajput died six days later, on June 14, at his Bandra residence, in what was later ruled a suicide.

Disha's father, Satish Salian, filed a petition in the Bombay High Court in March this year, seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into his daughter's death and an FIR against Aditya Thackeray, alleging a cover-up to protect influential people.

Satish Salian claimed in the court that his daughter was gangraped and murdered.

The Mumbai Police on Wednesday opposed the father's writ plea in the Bombay High Court by reiterating the suicide conclusion.

The police stated that the findings of a Special Investigation Team, formed in 2023, regarding the circumstances of Disha Salian's death align with those from the previous investigation, and that the SIT is continuing its probe.

NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar said, "BJP leaders and ministers from Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction have constantly hurled allegations at Aaditya Thackeray using foul and offensive language."

Pawar urged the government to take action against those responsible for a "deliberate attempt to mislead the public for political mileage."

BJP leader and former minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, however, defended the government and law enforcement agencies.

“The government never pressures probe agencies. The police conduct investigations based on evidence and facts. It appears that Opposition leaders harbour prejudice against the state government. I hope they will soon realise their misconceptions," he said.

--IANS

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