Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (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.
Amit’s remarks came days after Aaditya said he had never known or met Salian and alleged that political opponents were deliberately linking his name to the tragedy in an attempt to tarnish his character.
“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,” Amit, the son of MNS chief Raj Thackeray, told reporters.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a first information report (FIR) in connection with Salian’s death, without naming any accused, in compliance with directions from the Bombay High Court on a petition filed by her father.
Salian, a 28-year-old former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died on 8 June 2020 after falling from the 12th floor of a residential building in Mumbai’s Malad area.
Mumbai Police had registered an accidental death report (ADR) and later concluded, following an inquiry, that she had died by suicide.
A week later, Rajput was found dead in 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 while pulling up the Mumbai Police for failing to register an FIR for six years, observing that its investigation raises more questions than answers.
After the CBI's FIR in the case, Aaditya, in a post on X on Wednesday, said that such malicious propaganda with political motives won’t deter him from fighting for the truth.
"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," he wrote.
(With inputs from PTI)
