Aaditya Thackeray Denies Allegations In Fresh Disha Salian FIR, Calls It ‘Character Assassination’

Former Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday denied allegations linking him to the 2020 death of celebrity manager Disha Salian, describing the fresh FIR in the case as a politically motivated attempt at “character assassination”.

“Let’s cut through the noise and talk facts, once again: I have never met or known Disha Salian,” Aaditya said in a statement posted on X.

He alleged that repeatedly linking his name to Salian’s death was a “deliberate, evidence-free attempt at character assassination” by individuals with “clear political and personal motives”.

The statement was Aaditya’s first reaction to the FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on September 13, following a September 2 ruling by the Bombay High Court.

What Aaditya Thackeray Said

Aaditya said a “relentless smear campaign” had been carried out by vested interests “without a single shred of evidence”.

“Loud TV debates and media trials do not change the facts. Let the official re-investigation proceed without malicious distractions and character assassination for political motives,” he said.

He added that political manoeuvres would not deter him from “fighting for the truth”.

“We always will, stand by the truth, and fight for it,” Aaditya said.

What The Fresh FIR Alleges

The CBI FIR is based on a complaint and statement given by Disha Salian’s father, Satish Salian. The complaint alleges that Disha was gang-raped and murdered and that there was an alleged effort to suppress evidence and cover up the crime.

The complaint further alleges that Aaditya’s father, Uddhav Thackeray, who was Maharashtra chief minister at the time, and others played a role in the alleged conspiracy and subsequent cover-up.

It also contains allegations against public servants and police officers, including claims of destruction or suppression of case records, fabrication of official documents and misuse of public funds, personnel and police machinery.

These allegations are part of the complaint and are yet to be established through the CBI investigation.

Who Has Been Named In The Complaint?

Satish Salian’s complaint seeks an investigation into the alleged roles of several politicians, police officials and others.

Those named include Aaditya Thackeray, Disha’s then fiancé Rohan Roy, actors Dino Morea and Sooraj Pancholi, Rhea Chakraborty and her brother, former police officer Sachin Vaze, former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, Uddhav Thackeray, DCP Vishal Thakur and former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh.

However, being named or referred to in an FIR does not by itself mean that a person has been made an accused or that the allegations against them have been established.

What Earlier Investigations Found

Disha Salian, who had briefly worked with actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died after falling from a residential building in Mumbai in June 2020.

The Malwani police initially registered an accidental death report. The earlier investigation concluded that she had died by suicide and ruled out foul play.

A Special Investigation Team constituted by the Maharashtra government in December 2023 also found no evidence of foul play in her death.

The fresh CBI investigation will now examine the allegations raised in Satish Salian’s complaint and the evidence available in the case.

The investigation remains at an early stage, and the allegations contained in the FIR have not been established as fact.