‘Why not name Modi, Trump?’ Uddhav denies link to Salian case, calls it 'politically motivated'

Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday denied any connection between his family and the death of celebrity manager Disha Salian, describing the allegations as politically motivated and warning that he would consider legal action if what he called the “character assassination” campaign continued. The former Maharashtra chief minister’s remarks came days after the Bombay High Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe Salian’s 2020 death following a petition filed by her father, Satish Salian.

‘No connection’

“We have no connection with this case. Aaditya has also said so,” Thackeray told reporters, referring to his son and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray. He questioned how long his family should be expected to tolerate repeated allegations and sarcastically wondered why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump had not also been named. Thackeray maintained that Salian’s death was an unfortunate incident but insisted that his family had nothing to do with it.

Calling the allegations “politically motivated”, Thackeray said his party had remained silent while a Special Investigation Team (SIT) examined the case. He said investigators were free to continue their probe but warned that his family would initiate legal proceedings if what he described as pointless character assassination persisted.

Aaditya rejects allegations

Thackeray’s remarks came a day after Aaditya issued his first detailed response following the fresh investigation. Aaditya said he had never met or known Salian and described attempts to link him to her death as an evidence-free campaign driven by political and personal motives. He said television debates and media trials could not substitute evidence and urged that the official investigation be allowed to proceed without political distractions.

The CBI registered a case after the Bombay High Court on September 2 ordered a fresh investigation into the circumstances surrounding Salian’s death. The case was registered following allegations made by her father. The central agency did not name any person as an accused when registering the case. The High Court had also made clear that nobody should be treated as an accused unless investigators found sufficient material to raise reasonable suspicion against them.

CBI probe underway

Salian, 28, who had worked as a celebrity manager and had briefly handled actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died after falling from the 12th floor of a residential building in Mumbai’s Malad area on June 8, 2020. Mumbai Police had registered an accidental death report and subsequently concluded that she had died by suicide, ruling out foul play. An SIT constituted by the Maharashtra government in 2023 also investigated the circumstances surrounding her death.

The case returned to focus after Salian’s father approached the Bombay High Court seeking a fresh investigation and making allegations against several individuals. The court subsequently directed the CBI to investigate all aspects surrounding her death and asked Mumbai Police to hand over the relevant records and material to the central agency. The investigation is continuing.