Disha Salian case: Father says police botched the probe

The father of Disha Salian actor Sushant Singh Rajputrsquos former manager who died off a fall from the 14th floor of a Malad building in June 2020 has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court alleging a coverup in the probe into her deathSalian died on June 8 2020 Rajput died by suicide on June 14 at his Bandra home Salianrsquos father Satish has claimed that the two deaths are related and the police coveredup the involvement of certain highprofile people including Shiv Sena UBT leader and MLA Aaditya ThackerayThe petition alleges that Mumbai police suppressed key evidence early in the investigation and hastily closed the case as a suicide without properly considering forensic evidence eyewitness accounts and circumstantial proofCBI probe demandedSalian is demanding a CBI probe and custodial interrogation of Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray including scientific tests such as brain mapping and lie detector tests He asserts that former NCB director Sameer Wankhede uncovered evidence linking Rhea Chakraborty with Thackeray The petition alleges that Aaditya implicated in drug and child trafficking was informed of Disharsquos intent to expose the network leading to her murder It also accuses influential political figures media entities and police officials of fabricating a false narrative to protect their interestsSalian further claims that officers from Malvani police station along with Disharsquos fianceacute Rohan Rai and thenMumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar pressured him into accepting the official version that dismissed his daughterrsquos death as an accident His petition cites various news reports YouTube discussions and statements from Union Minister Narayan Rane and Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane who have described the death as murder and hinted at further evidenceAccording to the petition a party was held at Disharsquos Malad apartment on the night of June 8 2020 attended initially by her fianceacute and close friends The gathering later escalated with the unexpected arrival of highprofile individuals and their bodyguards The petition alleges that Disha was brutally gangrapedmdashrestrained and violently assaultedmdashwith eyewitness accounts and forensic inconsistencies supporting this claim despite a rushed cremation that bypassed proper postmortem analysisIt further contends that she was murdered to silence her as the perpetrators feared she would expose their crimes The petition claims senior police officers and politicians were immediately involved in a coverup making calls to suppress evidence control the media narrative intimidate eyewitnesses and close the case without proper investigation It alleges that her body was moved and staged with its condition and positioning inconsistent with a natural fall from a highrise Eyewitnesses claim that no blood was found at the alleged impact site or on her clothes contradicting the theory of a fall from the 14th floor The official case file is also said to contain doctored images falsely depicting the body in a pool of bloodThe petition highlights that mobile location records placing the accused at the scene were ignored and digital forensic evidencemdashincluding phone records and text messagesmdashwas allegedly erased or altered to support a false suicide narrative The police are accused of deliberately delaying the postmortem for over 50 hours purportedly to manipulate and destroy evidence of gang rape resulting in a fabricated report that merely noted head trauma and multiple injuriesEvidence against suicideIt also asserts that forensic evidence disproves the suicide theory In genuine highrise suicides the impact force would cause heavy bleeding multiple fractures and internal damage However the petition argues that no such injuries were found on Disha or at the impact site Even the clothes of those who transported her to the hospital reportedly showed no traces of bloodldquoThe delay was clearly aimed at destroying crucial forensic evidence particularly that of sexual assault to shield the main accused Aaditya The investigating officer attempted to justify this delay by citing COVID19 protocols but this contradicts how the Mumbai police handled other deaths at the time For instance the postmortem of Sushant Singh Rajput was conducted on the same day of his death June 14 2020 Yet for a female victim with possible evidence of sexual assault the postmortem was delayed by more than 50 hours This clear discrepancy exposes the dishonesty of the investigating officersrdquo the petition statesThe petition also alleges the involvement of actress Rhea Chakraborty in the conspiracy and calls for her custodial interrogation including brain mapping lie detector and narcoanalysis tests It highlights that Rhea abruptly left Sushantrsquos residence on June 8 2020mdashthe same day Disha diedmdashand blocked his number effectively cutting off communicationEyewitnesses claim that after Disharsquos death Sushant was visibly terrified and was reportedly sleeping in his parking area due to distress He frequently changed his SIM cards fearing for his life The petition states that Sushant suspected a powerful group was targeting him and considered holding a press conference to expose the truthThe petition claims Rhea Chakraborty abruptly left Sushant Singh Rajputrsquos residence on June 8 2020mdashthe same day Aaditya Thackeray allegedly visited Disha Salianrsquos flat It cites phone records showing Rhea and Aaditya were in touch that day despite their claims of not knowing each otherThe petition alleges that Disha confided in Sushant about a crime she had witnessedmdashan elite party involving the sexual assault of a minor Sushant shaken allegedly planned to expose it but was betrayed by Rhea After Disharsquos death he became paranoid changed SIM cards frequently and even avoided sleeping in his bedroom He reportedly told his staff he feared being killedCiting former NCB officer Sameer Wankhede the petition claims he found digital evidence linking Aaditya Thackeray and other Bolloywood celebrities to alleged murder site It further alleges Wankhede was ldquoharassedrdquo and politically targeted for exposing highprofile drug links and digital records of Aaditya and Rhearsquos interactionsldquoI am currently not in the state and was unaware of this I just found out today that such a petition has been filed The matter is sub judice and I will abide by the courtrsquos directionsrdquo Sameer Wankhede told midday ldquoThe petition is in process and has gone to the clerk of the high court It will be listed soon We want justice for Disha Salianrsquos family and we have also included an investigative article from midday that highlights lapses in the forensic examination and delays in submitting samplesrdquo said Adv Nilesh Ojha representing Salianrsquos family