The Mumbai Police have informed the Bombay High Court that former celebrity manager Disha Salian died by suicide and that no foul play or evidence of sexual assault was found during the investigation. This submission comes in response to a petition by her father, Satish Salian, who has alleged that his daughter was gangraped and murdered.
In an affidavit filed by Malvani police station’s senior inspector Shailendra Nagarkar, the police stated that Disha Salian jumped to her death from the 14th floor of a residential building in Malad on June 8, 2020, out of her own volition. The affidavit emphasized that postmortem findings revealed no signs of sexual or physical assault.
According to the police, Salian was under severe mental stress due to familial disputes and the failure of her business deals. It was also noted that she was intoxicated at the time of the incident, and her fiancé — who was present — raised no suspicion of foul play.
“The report is conclusive in nature,” the affidavit stated, asserting that the closure report was based on scientific findings, corroborated by the postmortem results and witness testimonies. The affidavit further disclosed that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was later constituted, and its findings aligned with the initial police probe. However, investigation is still ongoing.
Satish Salian, in his plea filed in March, sought a CBI probe and an FIR against Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aditya Thackeray, alleging political interference and a cover-up. On Wednesday, he filed an additional application claiming that a probe of such magnitude should have been initiated only after the registration of an FIR. He also accused the state of non-compliance by seeking an affidavit from the chief secretary instead of the police.
In response, Aditya Thackeray filed an application to intervene in the matter, claiming that the petition by Satish Salian was “false, frivolous and motivated.” The matter was heard by a bench led by Justice A.S. Gadkari, which posted it for further hearing on July 16.
