OMM Redaksiyası
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has reopened the case involving the 2020 death of Bollywood celebrity manager Disha Salian after the Bombay High Court ordered a fresh investigation, according to the BBC.
Salian, 28, died after falling from the 12th floor of a building in Mumbai during the intervening night of 8 and 9 June 2020. Police initially said she had been drinking and fell accidentally, before later classifying the death as suicide.
Why did the court order a fresh investigation?
The court’s order followed a petition by Salian’s father, Satish Salian, who has consistently rejected the conclusions that his daughter died by suicide or in an accident. He alleged that she had been gang-raped and murdered, and that evidence had been destroyed or fabricated to protect influential individuals.
In its 2 September order, the Bombay High Court said there were “too many glaring discrepancies” in the police investigation, which had been conducted in two phases over more than six years. The judges said the investigation raised more questions than it answered.
The court highlighted delays in police paperwork, the absence of blood at the site where Salian’s body was found and injuries in the post-mortem report that it said did not appear consistent with a fall. It also criticised police for failing to register a First Information Report, or FIR, and investigating the matter only as a suspicious or unnatural death.
What does the new complaint allege?
The CBI registered an FIR last week based on a written complaint submitted by Satish Salian. The allegations have not been proven and the court stressed that registering an FIR does not establish anyone’s guilt.
According to the court order, Salian was working for celebrity management company “Kwan Entertainment” and represented Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Her father alleges that she learned about “incriminating and objectionable information” concerning alleged drug trafficking, child abuse and other unlawful activities involving a former minister and others.
He claims that Salian shared the information with Rajput and that the pair planned to hold a press conference. The complaint alleges that a conspiracy was then organised to prevent the disclosure, resulting in Salian’s rape and murder and the creation of a false suicide narrative.
How is the case linked to Sushant Singh Rajput?
Rajput was found dead at his home less than a week after Salian’s death. Police also concluded that his death was a suicide, citing mental health issues for which he had received treatment.
Following public outrage and allegations by Rajput’s father, the actor’s case was transferred to the CBI. The agency closed that investigation last year, concluding that Rajput had died by suicide and that actress Rhea Chakraborty and her family had no role in his death.
Satish Salian’s complaint alleges that the two deaths were connected. The FIR names politicians, police officers and Bollywood actors, but the court said no person should be treated as an accused unless investigators find sufficient grounds for reasonable suspicion.
Satish Salian told the BBC that he had felt “some peace” after the court ordered a new investigation. He said his daughter was their only child and called for severe punishment for those responsible for her death.
