Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Nitesh Rane on Monday claimed Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray may have left the country or could be planning to travel abroad amid allegations surrounding the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's former manager Disha Salian.
Rane also alleged that Thackeray skipped the 'Garjana Morcha' led by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS president Raj Thackeray in Mumbai on Sunday due to fear of arrest. Thackeray's absence from the protest was attributed to fever.
"Yesterday, Aaditya Thackeray was not present on the stage. Illness was given as the reason for his absence. But it cannot be concluded from this that he has gone abroad or is preparing to leave. He may have even gone abroad; his whereabouts should be checked at his residence," Rane told reporters.
Salian, who worked as Rajput's manager, died on June 8, 2020, after falling from the 12th floor of a residential building in Mumbai's Malad area. Rajput was found dead at his Bandra residence a week later, leading to speculation about a possible connection between the two deaths.
The Mumbai Police had registered an accidental death report and later concluded that Salian had died by suicide. Her father has sought registration of a case against Aaditya Thackeray in connection with her death.
The CBI recently registered an FIR following a direction from the Bombay High Court, with an explicit instruction that no person be named as an accused.
Thackeray has denied any wrongdoing and said attempts to link his name to the case were politically motivated and aimed at tarnishing his reputation.
Rane claimed that Thackeray's name had surfaced repeatedly in the FIR and statements related to the case and demanded that investigating agencies question him.
He also said a lookout notice or passport seizure could be considered if investigators had legally valid grounds to believe that Thackeray might leave the country.
"Such action should not be based merely on allegations but on concrete evidence and legal procedure," Rane said.
The BJP leader further alleged that Thackeray was linked to serious offences, including murder, gang rape and fraud, and claimed his name appeared 13 times in the FIR and various statements in the Salian case. These allegations have not been established in court.
Rane also alleged that actor Dino Morea, who is facing a probe in a civic contract case, was being used as a "mask" and described Thackeray as his "godfather".
Rane said he was seeking only a fair investigation and maintained that the law should apply equally to everyone.
Meanwhile, Thackeray said on social media that he would join students protesting over issues concerning the Maharashtra Public Service Commission in Pune on Tuesday.
He questioned why the MPSC chairman continued in office despite protests by thousands of students demanding his resignation over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.
(With inputs from PTI)
