India
oi-Madhuri Adnal
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday said he had “never met” Disha Salian and described the repeated linking of his name to her death as an attempt at character assassination.
Thackeray’s remarks come days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered an FIR to begin a fresh probe into the 2020 death of celebrity manager Disha Salian.
Aaditya Thackeray denies meeting Disha Salian, calling his alleged link to her 2020 death an attempt at character assassination amid a fresh CBI probe initiated following the Bombay High Court’s direction and Salian’s father’s complaint.
The CBI registered the FIR on September 13 following directions from the Bombay High Court. The case stems from a complaint and statement by Salian’s father, Satish Salian, who had sought an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his daughter’s death and the alleged role of several politicians and police officers.
Reacting to the development, Thackeray denied having met Salian and said attempts to connect him to the case were aimed at damaging his reputation.
The CBI FIR is based on allegations raised by Salian’s father and includes references to several individuals. However, being named in the complaint or FIR related material does not by itself mean that a person has been made an accused.
The Bombay High Court had specifically directed that no individual should be treated as an accused unless the investigating officer finds sufficient grounds for reasonable suspicion based on material gathered during the investigation.
