Daijiworld Media Network - Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Sep 17: Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday denied any connection between his family and the death of Disha Salian and warned that legal action would be initiated if what he described as the “character assassination” of his family continued.

Speaking to reporters in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the former Maharashtra chief minister said his family was being dragged into the case for political reasons. Without naming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he alleged that the campaign was politically motivated.

“We have no connection with this case. Aaditya (Thackeray) has also said so. This issue is not merely about me. Such character assassination can take place with you people too,” he said.

In a sarcastic reference, Uddhav questioned why the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump had not been brought into the matter.

“If such allegations are made continuously, how long should one tolerate it? I am wondering why the names of Modi and Trump are absent in this case,” he said.

Uddhav said his party had remained silent while the matter was being examined by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), but warned that continued allegations would prompt legal action.

“It is politically motivated. We were quiet because an SIT was probing the case. Those who want to investigate, they can keep investigating. But enough of this pointless character assassination, or else we will initiate legal steps,” he said.

His remarks came amid a fresh CBI investigation into Salian's death. The Bombay High Court had ordered the CBI to investigate the case following a petition by Salian's father, Satish Salian. The agency has since registered an FIR based on the complaint and is examining allegations including conspiracy, cover-up, gang rape and murder. The FIR does not name any suspect as an accused, while the roles of several people have been cited for investigation.

Aaditya Thackeray, meanwhile, denied ever knowing or meeting Salian. In a post on X on Wednesday, he said repeated attempts to link his name to the case amounted to an “evidence-free” attempt at character assassination and urged that the official re-investigation be allowed to proceed without what he called political distractions.

Salian, 28, was a former manager of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput. She died in June 2020 after falling from a 12th-floor residential premises in Mumbai's Malad area. Rajput was found dead in his Bandra apartment less than a week later, leading to speculation about a possible connection between the two deaths.

Salian's father subsequently sought a fresh investigation into her death, and the Bombay High Court ordered the CBI probe earlier this month. The investigation is now being conducted by the central agency.