The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has initiated formal proceedings in the highly controversial death of Disha Salian, who was the manager of the late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput. This development has reignited an intense political debate that had been simmering since the COVID-19 pandemic. The mystery surrounding Salian's death—whether she fell accidentally from the twelfth floor of a high-rise building or was pushed—remains a subject of intense speculation. The timeline of events is further complicated by the fact that just six days after her death, Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his apartment. Now, six years after these events, political tensions have flared up again as the CBI has registered a First Information Report (FIR) naming 27 individuals as accused, including senior political figures from the Shiv Sena (UBT). While opposition leaders term the action a political conspiracy, representatives of the ruling alliance state that the law applies equally to all and justice must take its course.
The Legal Catalyst and the CBI's Formal FIR
The CBI's action is rooted in a criminal writ petition filed before the Bombay High Court. Following an order issued by the High Court on September 2, 2026, the Special Crime-II Unit of the CBI in New Delhi officially registered the case on September 13, 2026. The foundation of this FIR is a detailed statement provided by Satish Salian, the father of the deceased, which was recorded on September 11, 2026. Based on his testimonies, the central agency has invoked several highly serious and non-bailable sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). These charges include Section 120-B for criminal conspiracy, Section 376-D for gang rape, Section 302 for murder, and Section 201 for the disappearance of evidence. Additionally, the FIR includes Sections 217 and 218, which relate to public servants disobeying directions of law and framing incorrect records with the intent to save someone from legal punishment.
The Explosive Sushant Singh Rajput Connection
One of the most dramatic assertions made within the newly registered FIR concerns the professional relationship and communication between Disha Salian and Sushant Singh Rajput. According to the statements of her father, Satish Salian, Disha had previously managed the professional affairs of the actor. During her tenure, she reportedly came into possession of highly sensitive and incriminating evidence. This evidence allegedly linked influential persons to illicit activities, including drug trafficking, child exploitation, and various other unlawful operations. The complaint asserts that Disha did not keep this information to herself but shared these alarming findings directly with Sushant Singh Rajput. The two were reportedly planning to expose these activities to the public. They had formulated a plan to host a major press conference where they intended to bring all these documents and evidence into the open. The FIR suggests that the entire conspiracy to silence Disha was orchestrated precisely to prevent this public exposure and to shield the powerful individuals involved in these illegal rackets.
Rhea Chakraborty's Alleged Role and the Panic in Sushant's Household
The complaint filed by Disha's father details a sequence of events involving Rhea Chakraborty, who was Sushant Singh Rajput's girlfriend at the time. According to the FIR, Sushant had shared the highly sensitive details he received from Disha with Rhea. The complaint alleges that Rhea, who was in contact with several highly influential figures, passed this information along to them, alerting them to the fact that Disha and Sushant were preparing a comprehensive public exposure of their activities. The timeline described in the FIR highlights a critical coincidence: on the very day of Disha's tragic death, Rhea Chakraborty packed her belongings, left Sushant's residence, and blocked his phone number. The news of Disha's death reportedly sent Sushant into a state of extreme panic and terror. He supposedly expressed deep fear to those close to him, stating that the conspirators would not spare his life either. Driven by this intense apprehension, Sushant reportedly ordered his household staff to delete all digital data and electronic records from his devices.
Prominent Names Indicted in the FIR
The FIR lists a broad spectrum of high-profile names, demanding a thorough investigation into their potential roles in the conspiracy and subsequent cover-up. Among the prominent political figures explicitly named in the father's statement are Aaditya Thackeray, who was the Cabinet Minister of Maharashtra at the time, his father Uddhav Thackeray, who was the Chief Minister of the state, and Anil Deshmukh, who held the position of Home Minister. The list of accused also features individuals from Disha's personal and professional circles, including her fiance Rohan Rai. Furthermore, well-known actors such as Dino Morea and Sooraj Pancholi are mentioned alongside Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik Chakraborty. The investigation also targets law enforcement officials and administration members, including the suspended police officer Sachin Vaze, former Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, DCP Vishal Thakur, and several police inspectors associated with the Malvani police station. The scope of the inquiry extends to the medical professionals who conducted Disha's post-mortem examination as well as the security guards on duty at her residential building.
Timing Contradictions and the Suicide Theory
A major focus of the CBI's investigation centers on the significant contradictions between the initial police narrative and the physical evidence regarding the timeline of events. The local police had previously maintained a theory that Disha Salian did not step out of her apartment from June 4 to June 8, 2020. According to their official timeline, Disha had been conversing with a friend over the phone until approximately 1:16 AM during the intervening night of June 8 and June 9, after which she allegedly jumped from the twelfth floor of the building at 1:20 AM. However, the complaint by Satish Salian challenges this timeline using surveillance footage. CCTV records show Disha entering flat number 1101 at approximately 8:15 PM on the evening of June 8. More importantly, the footage reveals that at 12:55 AM—nearly twenty-five minutes before the alleged jump—Rohan Rai, a resident from the eleventh floor, and a police officer were seen using the elevator to go upstairs. This sequence of movements directly contradicts the police's assertion that Disha jumped at 1:20 AM while alone or under the circumstances initially described.
Forensic Anomalies, Failed Reconstructions, and Missing Records
The physical condition of the body and the scene of the incident present further anomalies that the CBI is tasking itself to investigate. According to the FIR, Disha's body was found approximately 25 feet away from the base of the building structure. When the local police attempted to reconstruct the scene using a dummy to simulate a fall from the twelfth floor, the test failed to show how a body falling naturally could land at such a distance. Most suspiciously, the video recordings, reports, and administrative documentation associated with this dummy test and scene reconstruction have reportedly vanished from the official files of the local police station. Furthermore, the complaint points out a severe discrepancy in the medical and hospital documentation. The initial records made at the hospital registered the body as being entirely unclothed when it was brought in. However, subsequent official documents and police descriptions detailed various colored items of clothing on the body, raising suspicions that the crime scene and the body's condition were manipulated after the fact.
