Disha Salian’s father seeks FIR against Aaditya Thackeray, alleges gang-rape and murder in petition

Five years after the tragic death of Disha Salian, the former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, her father Satish Salian has moved the Bombay High Court, seeking an FIR against Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray and others. The plea alleges that Disha was gang-raped and murdered, contradicting the official police version that ruled it as an accidental death. Thackeray has dismissed the allegations, calling them a politically motivated attempt to defame him.

Disha Salian died on June 8, 2020, after allegedly falling from the 14th floor of a high-rise building in Malad, Mumbai. Six days later, on June 14, 2020, Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Bandra apartment, leading to widespread conspiracy theories. The Mumbai Police initially registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in Disha’s case, and later handed over Sushant’s case to the CBI. Back in 2020, Satish Salian had publicly stated that he was satisfied with the investigation and suspected no foul play in his daughter's death.

However, in a shocking U-turn, the new plea makes explosive allegations, claiming that on the night of June 8, Disha hosted a party attended by Aaditya Thackeray, actors Sooraj Pancholi, and Dino Morea, along with his bodyguards. The petition alleges that Disha was forcibly restrained, gang-raped, and subjected to brutal sexual assault, citing eyewitness accounts. It also claims that despite reports of her fall from the building, there was not a single fracture on her body, and no bloodstains at the scene, raising doubts about the official narrative.

The plea further accuses political interference in the investigation. It alleges that the official autopsy report was altered under pressure to cover up the crime. Additionally, it claims that forensic evidence was destroyed, CCTV footage was tampered with, and her body was moved posthumously. The petition highlights a delay of over 50 hours in Disha’s post-mortem, while Sushant Singh Rajput’s autopsy was conducted on the same day of his death. The delay, the plea argues, was deliberate to destroy evidence of sexual assault and shield the accused.

The petition demands a CBI probe, requesting that it be tagged with an earlier petition filed by the Supreme Court and High Court Litigants Association in 2023. The plea also seeks to treat Rashid Khan Pathan’s 2023 complaint to Mumbai Police as the basis for registering an FIR for murder. While a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed by the Maharashtra government in 2023, the report is yet to be submitted.

The case has now turned into a political flashpoint between Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti alliance and Shiv Sena (UBT). Aaditya Thackeray dismissed the allegations as an attempt to tarnish his reputation, saying, “This has been going on for the past five years. If the matter is in court, I will respond in court.” Maharashtra Minister Sanjay Shirsat defended the petition, stating, “Disha’s father was unable to tolerate it any longer, so he has come out openly now.” Meanwhile, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut suggested that the move was politically motivated, questioning why the petition was filed five years after the incident. He also accused the BJP government of using the Disha Salian case to distract from other political controversies.

As the case takes a new legal and political turn, the Bombay High Court is set to hear arguments on the demand for a CBI probe, reigniting debates over one of the most controversial deaths in recent years.