Fadnavis announces SIT probe into death of Sushant’s former talent manager

BJP MLA Nitesh Rane demands Aaditya Thackeray’s narco test in connection with Disha Salian case

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday announced a Special Investigation Team probe into the death of Disha Salian, a talent manager who had worked with late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

The BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena have been linking the name of Aaditya Thackeray, former Minister and son of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Uddhav Thackeray, with the case.

Ms. Salian died in June 2020 after falling off the 14th floor of a residential building in Mumbai’s Malad area. Six days later, 34-year-old Mr. Rajput was found hanging in his Bandra home.

“Nobody will be targeted in this case. The probe will be free and fair and will take place on basis of new evidence,” said Mr. Fadnavis in the Vidhan Sabha on Thursday during the Winter session of the State Legislature.

Hitting out at the Shinde-Fadnavis government, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Ajit Pawar said that it was deliberately trying to “create confusion” despite the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) making it clear this November that Ms. Salian’s death had been an accident.

Responding to Mr. Pawar, Mr. Fadnavis said: “The Disha Salian case was investigated by the Mumbai police. It never went to the CBI and hence, there was no closure in it. The Sushant Singh Rajput case had been probed by the CBI.”

BJP MLA Nitesh Rane demanded a narco test on Mr. Aaditya Thackeray. “Whenever this case come up, Aaditya Thackeray’s name crops up. There are so many leaders in Maharashtra, but their names do not come up. This indicates that something is fishy,” said Mr. Rane, alleging that the CCTV footage in the Disha Salian case was “missing” while the post-mortem was ‘hidden.’