Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday denied any connection between his family and the 2020 death of Disha Salian and warned of legal action if the "character assassination" campaign against them continued.
Thackeray's remarks came days after the Bombay High Court ordered a CBI probe into Salian's death on a plea by her father. The Central agency has since registered a case without naming any accused.
"We have no connection with this case. Aaditya (Thackeray) has also said so. This issue is not merely about me. Such character assasination can take place with you people too," Thackeay said, replying to reporters' questions here.
"If such allegations are made continuously, how long one should tolerate it? I am wondering why the names of Modi and Trump are absent in this case," he said on a sarcastic note.
Thackeray said Salian's death was an unfortunate incident and reiterated that his family had no connection with it.
"It is politically motivated. We were quiet because an SIT (Special Investigation Team) was probing the case. Those who want to investigate, they can keep investigating. But enough of this pointless character assasination, or else we will initiate legal steps,'' the Sena (UBT) chief said.
His son and MLA Aaditya Thackeray had on Wednesday also denied any link to Salian, saying he had never met her.
"I have never met or known Disha Salian. Linking my name to this tragic case is a deliberate, evidence-free attempt of character assassination by a few individuals with clear political and personal motives, for almost six years," Aaditya said in a post on X.
Salian, 28, a former manager of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died on June 8, 2020, after falling from the 12th floor of a residential building in Mumbai's Malad area.
Police had termed it a suicide. A week later, Rajput was found dead at his Bandra apartment on June 14, 2020, triggering 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 criticised the Mumbai Police for failing to register an FIR for six years, observing that its investigation raised more questions than answers.
(With inputs from PTI)