Disha Salian’s death case: Mumbai police claim no foul play; her father seeks CBI probe

The Mumbai police have maintained before the Bombay High Court that the death of former celebrity manager Disha Salian was a suicide, and there was no indication of foul play. However, her father Satish Salian has reiterated allegations of gangrape and murder, and has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter.

In an affidavit filed before the High Court last month, the police stated that Disha died after jumping from the 14th floor of a residential building in Malad on June 8, 2020. Her postmortem examination revealed no evidence of sexual or physical assault, the police said. An Accidental Death Report (ADR) was registered at the time.

According to the affidavit submitted by Malvani police station’s senior inspector Shailendra Nagarkar, Disha was dealing with significant mental distress owing to personal family disputes and setbacks in her professional life. She was reportedly intoxicated at the time of the incident. The affidavit also stated that her fiancé, who was present during the incident, raised no suspicion or concerns regarding foul play.

"I say that in the light of the circumstances and witness statements, the deceased Disha Salian out of her own volition jumped off the window of the flat and committed suicide," the affidavit said.

The police further submitted that the claims made by Satish Salian were unfounded and without evidence. The closure report filed earlier was based on scientific investigation, supported by the postmortem report, which did not suggest any suspicious circumstances. “The report is conclusive in nature and mentions no signs of sexual and/or physical assault on the deceased,” the affidavit added, as reported by PTI.

Additionally, the affidavit revealed that even after the filing of the closure report, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to conduct a further probe. The SIT’s findings were consistent with the conclusions of the original investigation, though the police noted that the inquiry remains ongoing.

Satish Salian, in his petition filed in March this year, sought registration of an FIR and an independent probe by the CBI into his daughter's death. He alleged that Disha had died under mysterious circumstances and accused Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aditya Thackeray of being involved, claiming a cover-up to shield influential individuals.

In an application filed on Wednesday, Satish Salian contended that once information indicating the commission of a cognisable offence is available, the police are legally obligated to register an FIR before initiating an investigation. He also alleged that the SIT was proceeding to investigate serious charges of gangrape and murder without registering an FIR, which he called “grossly illegal”. He further claimed that there had been deliberate disobedience of a court directive, as an affidavit was sought from the Maharashtra chief secretary instead of the police.

Meanwhile, Aditya Thackeray has moved the court with an intervention application, seeking to be heard before any decision is made in the case. Thackeray described the petition filed by Satish Salian as “false, frivolous and motivated.”

The matter was taken up by a bench led by Justice A S Gadkari, which has listed it for further hearing on July 16.

(With PTI inputs)