Disha Salian case: CBI FIR alleges gang rape, murder and evidence tampering

There has been a major turn, six years on, in the case of the suspicious death of Disha Salian, former manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Following strict directions from the Bombay High Court, the CBI has formally registered an FIR in the case and taken over the investigation completely. The FIR copy that has surfaced levels several serious allegations, including gang rape, murder, destruction of evidence, tampering with police records and interference with Disha's mobile phone.

Disha's father, Satish Salian, appeared before CBI officials with his lawyer on Friday and recorded his statement over more than four hours. Satish Salian had earlier filed a petition in the High Court alleging that his daughter was gang raped and murdered, directly pointing fingers at some influential political figures and senior police officers.

The FIR makes clear that the original case linked to Disha's death, the alleged criminal conspiracy, the false suicide narrative later fabricated and spread, and every aspect of suppressing, destroying or tampering with evidence will be investigated in depth. The role of some prominent, high-profile individuals will also fall within the scope of the probe.

The CBI's FIR names, from politics and Bollywood, Aaditya Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray, Anil Deshmukh, Dino Morea, Sooraj Pancholi, Rohan Roy, Rhea Chakraborty, Showik Chakraborty and Aaditya Thackeray's bodyguards. It also mentions then Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, suspended API Sachin Waze, then DCP Vishal Thakur, API Ashok Deodhe, PI Jagdev Kalapad, PI Shailendra Nagarkar, PI Chimaji Adhav, PI Arjun Rajane and officials of Malvani police station.

Also named are the team of doctors and staff who delayed the postmortem, Dr Sanjay Jadhav, officials of the Kalina Forensic Science Laboratory, N.P. Bhale, security guards of the Regent Galaxy building Sushil Kumar Yadav and Shivmurad Gautam (Munna). Preeti Rane, Praveen Rane, Ankita Satur, Indranil Vaidya, Deep Ajmera, Himanshu Shikhare, Resha Padwal, Satwant Singh, Naved Mujawar, Priyesh Rane, and senior SIT members and the then investigating officer will also be probed.

It must be clarified here that having one's name in the FIR does not mean that person is an accused. The court has also said that no one should be treated as an accused without concrete evidence. A name appearing in the FIR is only part of examining a role; establishing guilt is a separate matter. The truth of these claims will emerge only from the CBI's final investigation and evidence.

The FIR also raises serious suspicion about Disha's mobile phone. Police had seized Disha's phone on 9 June 2020 at 9:40 am. But despite the seizure being recorded, the phone remained active and continued to be used afterward. Police later claimed the phone was reopened to check a possible connection to Sushant Singh Rajput's death, but according to the CBI this explanation does not match the existing documents. A new account was constructed by suppressing the real record of when and how the phone was seized.

According to the FIR, the phone was with Sachin Waze and Aaditya Thackeray, who used it. Data from the phone was used to identify people Disha had spoken to on the night of the incident, or who could have been potential witnesses.

The FIR also states that potential witnesses identified from the mobile data were threatened, pressured or prevented from revealing information. Important data on the phone was deleted or tampered with to destroy evidence of testimony. Citing medical and police records, the FIR states that Disha's vaginal and anal swab samples were sent to a forensic lab for examination. The CBI will now re-examine all this medical material, the postmortem report and related documents.

Disha Salian was a celebrity manager who had also worked with actor Sushant Singh Rajput for some time. She died in suspicious circumstances after falling from a multi-storey building in Malad on 8 June 2020. Just six days later, on 14 June 2020, Sushant Singh Rajput's body was also found, which is why the two cases have continued to be linked together.

Mumbai Police initially recorded the death as accidental and later concluded it was suicide, ruling out any conspiracy. After his name came up in the case, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray had called all the allegations completely baseless and termed them a political conspiracy hatched to tarnish his image.

Meanwhile, on 2 September, the Bombay High Court directed the CBI to investigate the case and register an FIR. The CBI Joint Director for the Mumbai region was ordered to appoint an experienced senior officer as investigating officer. The court has made clear that no one should be treated directly as an accused until firm evidence emerges. Six years on, the whole country is watching whether the CBI's swift action will solve the mystery of Disha Salian's death or bring new facts to light.