Key facts
- The Bombay High Court ordered the CBI to reopen the 2020 death investigation of celebrity manager Disha Salian.
- Disha Salian's father alleges she was murdered and gang-raped, with evidence suppressed to protect influential politicians and police officers.
- The court cited "glaring discrepancies" in the initial police investigation, including inconsistent injuries and a lack of an FIR.
- The CBI has registered an FIR based on the father's complaint, alleging a conspiracy to silence Salian.
- Salian allegedly shared information about drug trafficking and child abuse involving powerful individuals with actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
- Sushant Singh Rajput, Salian's client, was found dead less than a week after her death; his case was also investigated by the CBI.
The Bombay High Court has ordered India's federal police, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to reopen the investigation into the 2020 death of celebrity manager Disha Salian. Salian, who managed Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, was found dead on June 9, 2020, reportedly having fallen from the 12th floor of a building in Mumbai. Initial police investigations concluded her death was a suicide or an accident, but her father, Satish Salian, has consistently alleged that his daughter was murdered and gang-raped.
Satish Salian's petition to the court detailed his belief that evidence was suppressed to protect influential politicians and police officers involved in the alleged crime. The court, in its September 2 order, criticized the police investigation for having "too many glaring discrepancies" and stated that the police's findings raised more questions than answers. The judges noted inconsistencies such as unexplained delays in paperwork, the absence of blood at the scene where the body was found, and post-mortem injuries that did not appear consistent with a fall from that height.
The CBI has now registered a First Information Report (FIR) based on Satish Salian's complaint. The FIR alleges that Disha Salian had obtained "incriminating and objectionable information concerning alleged drug trafficking, child abuse and other unlawful activities" involving a former minister and others. According to the complaint, she shared this information with Sushant Singh Rajput, and they intended to go public, leading to a conspiracy to murder her and fabricate a suicide narrative.
Salian's death gained significant public attention, particularly after Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his home less than a week later. Rajput's death was also initially ruled a suicide by police, but his father accused actress Rhea Chakraborty of contributing to it. The CBI eventually closed Rajput's case, concluding he died by suicide. The reopening of Salian's case, with allegations involving high-profile individuals, has dominated headlines in India.