CBI Registers Murder, Gang-Rape FIR In Disha Salian Death Probe; Names Aaditya Thackeray, Rhea Chakraborty
The long-simmering mystery surrounding the tragic death of celebrity manager Disha Salian has taken a dramatic legal turn. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has officially registered a First Information Report (FIR) under severe charges, including murder, gang rape, criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence, and the provision of false information.
The central agency’s intervention follows a decisive ruling by the Bombay High Court earlier this month, which instructed the CBI to take over the probe and register an FIR. The court’s order came in response to a petition filed by Salian’s father, Satish Salian, who alleged widespread lapses and deliberate concealment during the initial inquiry.
Among those named in the CBI FIR as individuals whose roles require thorough investigation are Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MLA Aaditya Thackeray, actors Dino Morea, Sooraj Pancholi, and Rhea Chakraborty, as well as medical personnel and staff involved in the delayed post-mortem examination.
According to the FIR, the agency is exploring a wider alleged cover-up. The document states, as reported don by NDTV: “The then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, father of Aaditya Thackeray, and others played a significant role in the conspiracy and subsequent cover-up. The concerned public servants and police officers are also liable to be investigated for destruction or suppression of case papers, files and other public records, fabrication of official records, and misuse of public funds, manpower and police machinery for unlawful purposes and for shielding the offenders.”
Disha Salian, 28, died on 8 June 2020 after falling from the 14th floor of a residential building in the Malad area of Mumbai. Just six days later, actor Sushant Singh Rajput—whom Salian had previously managed—was found dead in his Bandra flat. The temporal proximity of the two incidents immediately sparked widespread public speculation and intense media scrutiny, though the Mumbai Police maintained that the deaths were entirely unconnected.
Initially, the Mumbai Police treated Salian’s death as an Accidental Death Report (ADR) rather than registering an FIR for a cognisable criminal offence. Following an inquiry, local authorities claimed the incident was a suicide, and a subsequent Special Investigation Team (SIT) reiterated that their findings aligned with that original conclusion.
However, the High Court delivered a scathing assessment of the local police’s handling of the matter. Bench observations noted that the local force failed to register an FIR for several years, leaving an investigation that ultimately “raises more questions than answers” alongside “glaring discrepancies”. Furthermore, the court highlighted that key procedural documentation, including copies of the post-mortem report and the ADR, had been withheld from the Salian family even years after her passing.
While the Salian family initially indicated in the immediate aftermath of June 2020 that they did not suspect foul play, Satish Salian’s stance evolved significantly as inconsistencies emerged. In his petition to the High Court, he alleged that his daughter was gang-raped and murdered, directly challenging the suicide narrative and asserting that political influence was deployed to stall a genuine investigation.
The CBI, according to reports, has already written to the Mumbai Police to secure all case papers, documents, and physical records associated with the 2020 incident.
Satish Salian has also formally recorded his statement before the central agency.
