MEMBERS of the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance on Thursday raised the Disha Salian death controversy in both Houses of Maharashtra Legislature, leading to heated exchanges, even as Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray said he would give 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 gangraped and murdered.

 

He has filed a petition.The previous MVA Government suppressed the case. The then Mayor met him, misled him, and pressurised him not to speak. He has 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 ten minutes. Afterwards, Minister of State for HomeYogesh 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. Disha Salian died on June 8, 2020, after falling off the 14th floor of a residential building in suburban Malad. The police registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) case. Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput allegedly committed suicide in his apartment in suburban Bandra six days later. 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 upanother SIT, but same rulesshould apply to the suspiciousdeath of Pooja Chavan,” he said, referring to the death of a youngwoman in Pune in 2021 that ledto then MVA minister SanjayRathod’s resignation.

 

Rathod isa minister in the current BJP-leddispensation too. Anil Parab, another Sena (UBT)leader, said a case against AadityaThackeray was going on for morethan a year and a half. “The freshpetition filed by Disha’s father isa copy-paste petition.... The CBI has given a clean chit (toThackeray),” he said. He also asked why the rulingalliance did not seek resignationof BJP minister Jaykumar Gore, apparently referring to allegations by a woman that Gore sent her objectionable photographs. The minister earlier this monthhad denied the allegation. Asked by reporters about Satish Salian’s petition, AadityaThackeray said attempts werebeing made for the last five yearsto tarnish his image. “We will putforth our side in the court. Wewill give our replies (to the allegations) in the court,” he added