Disha Salian Probe: Nitesh Rane Questions Aaditya Thackeray’s Absence, Raises Possibility Of Foreign Travel

Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Nitesh Rane on Monday alleged that Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray may have left the country or could be preparing to travel abroad amid the ongoing investigation into the Disha Salian death case.

Rane also questioned Thackeray’s absence from the stage during Sunday’s ‘Garjana Morcha’ in Mumbai, led by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS president Raj Thackeray. While fever was cited as the reason for his absence, Rane claimed Thackeray stayed away because of fears of arrest.

Salian, who worked as the manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died on June 8, 2020, after falling from the 12th floor of a residential building in Mumbai’s Malad area. Rajput was found dead at his Bandra residence about a week later, leading to widespread speculation about a possible connection between the two deaths.

Mumbai Police had initially registered an accidental death report and later concluded that Salian died by suicide following an inquiry. However, her father subsequently demanded that a case be registered against Aaditya Thackeray in connection with her death.

The CBI recently registered an FIR following a direction from the Bombay High Court, with the court making it clear that no individual should be named as an accused at this stage.

Rane claimed Thackeray’s name had appeared repeatedly in the FIR and statements linked to the case and called for investigators to question him and establish the facts. He also said any move to seize Thackeray’s passport or issue a lookout notice must be based on concrete evidence and proper legal procedure.

Thackeray has previously rejected attempts to link him to the case, saying such allegations were politically motivated and intended to damage his reputation.

Rane further made allegations connecting Thackeray to serious offences, but these claims have not been established in court. He maintained that his demand was for a fair investigation and equal application of the law.

Meanwhile, Thackeray said he would join students protesting in Pune on Tuesday over issues concerning the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) and questioned why its chairman continued in office despite demands for his resignation over alleged recruitment-exam irregularities.