NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has entrusted IPS officer Seema Pahuja with probing the 2020 death of Disha Salian, former manager of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, after registering an FIR in the case.
Salian died after falling from the 14th floor of her residential apartment on June 8, 2020, eight days before Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. The case came into the spotlight again after six years, with several prominent names likely to be examined.
The Mumbai Police had earlier termed Salian’s death a suicide. Her father, Satish Salian, later approached the Bombay High Court, which directed the CBI to register an FIR and conduct a probe.
Pahuja is currently posted as Superintendent of Police in the Special Crime Unit at the CBI headquarters in Delhi. She has worked with the agency for decades and has handled complex criminal investigations involving forensic, witness and documentary evidence.
Pahuja was also part of the CBI team that investigated the 2024 RG Kar rape and murder case in Kolkata. She was associated with the agency’s investigation into the 2017 death and alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl in Kotkhai, Himachal Pradesh, commonly known as the Gudiya case, as well as the 2017 Unnao rape case.
Pahuja has received recognition for her investigative work, including two gold medals for outstanding investigation between 2007 and 2018. In 2021, she was also reported to have received the CBI’s gold medal for Best Investigating Officer.
The Bombay High Court specifically directed that nobody should be treated as an accused unless the investigation produces sufficient material to raise reasonable suspicion.
The CBI will now examine the allegations, statements and other evidence before determining what, if any, offences or individual involvement are established.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray said he had no connection with the case and had never met Salian. In a social media post, Thackeray stated, “To stop the dust of rumors once again, I'm stating only and only the facts!
I have never met Disha Salian, nor did I have any acquaintance with her,” he said.
He further added that, “For political motives, out of personal enmity, with the intent of character assassination, for the past 6 years, some people have been deliberately trying to link my name to this unfortunate incident repeatedly, despite there being no evidence or connection whatsoever.
This constant false campaign, devoid of any facts or truth, is unfortunate. The false discussions on TV channels and media trials carried out through empty bluster cannot alter the truth.
Allow the official machinery to conduct this inquiry afresh—without any interference, without political intervention, without character assassination, and impartially.
"I say it once again: if you think that through such character assassination and false propaganda, you can make us sit quietly, that is your delusion. For the sake of truth, against injustice, our fight will continue, taking the countrymen along with us!,” Shiv Sena (UBT) leader added.
