Amit Thackeray backs cousin Aaditya after he's named in FIR in Disha Salian case

Raj Thackeray's son, Amit, backed his cousin Aaditya Thackeray in the Disha Salian death case, saying that the latter could never be involved in such a matter. His backing came as the CBI opened a fresh probe and named Aaditya in the FIR after the Bombay High Court's intervention.

In Short

• CBI registers FIR on Bombay High Court's directive, Aaditya mentioned in it
• Court criticised Mumbai Police for six-year delay in filing FIR
• Disha Salian died in 2020, initially ruled suicide by Mumbai Police

MNS leader Amit Thackeray on Friday defended his cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, saying he could never be involved in the Disha Salian death case. His remarks came days after Aaditya said he had never known or met Salian and alleged that political rivals were trying to damage his reputation by linking him to the case.

The remarks came as the CBI registered an FIR in the case, without naming any accused, in line with Bombay High Court directions on a petition filed by Salian's father. The High Court had earlier ordered a CBI probe and criticised the Mumbai Police for not registering an FIR for six years.

Speaking to reporters, Amit Thackeray, son of MNS chief Raj Thackeray, said, "I don't know how to look at this, but as a brother I can tell you that Aaditya can never be involved in such a thing."

Disha Salian, the 28-year-old former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died on June 8, 2020, after falling from the 12th floor of a residential building in Mumbai's Malad area. The Mumbai Police had registered an accidental death report and later said, after an inquiry, that it was a case of suicide.

A week later, Rajput was found dead in his Bandra apartment on June 14, 2020, leading to speculation about a possible link between the two deaths. On September 2, the Bombay High Court ordered a CBI probe into Salian's death and pulled up the Mumbai Police for failing to register an FIR for six years, saying its investigation raised more questions than answers.

After the CBI's FIR, Aaditya said in a post on X on Wednesday that "such malicious propaganda with political motives" would not stop him from fighting for the truth. He wrote, "Let's cut through the noise and talk facts, once again: I have never met or known Disha Salian. Linking my name to this tragic case constantly is a deliberate, evidence-free attempt at character assassination by a few individuals with clear political and personal motives, for almost 6 years." The developments have brought the case back into focus, with Amit Thackeray backing Aaditya and the CBI now probing Salian's death following the High Court's order.

- Ends