MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday said he had never met or known celebrity manager Disha Salian, whose death is now being investigated by the CBI following a directive from the Bombay High Court. Thackeray said repeated attempts to link his name to the case amounted to character assassination driven by political and personal motives.“Let’s cut through the noise and talk about facts, once again: I have never met or known Disha Salian,” Thackeray said in a post on X. He alleged that linking him to the case was a deliberate, “evidence-free” attempt at character assassination that had continued for nearly six years.He said media debates and what he described as media trials could not change the facts, and urged that the official re-investigation be allowed to proceed without what he called “malicious distractions” or political interference.Thackeray also said attempts to use the case politically would not deter him from “fighting for the truth” and standing by it. He called for an impartial inquiry and said character assassination and “false propaganda” would not make him remain silent.The CBI registered an FIR on Monday based on a complaint filed by Disha’s father. The FIR does not name any suspect but states that the roles of several people, including Thackeray and actors Dino Morea and Rhea Chakraborty, need to be investigated.
