Days after the CBI registered an FIR into the death of celebrity manager Disha Salian and listed Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray among those whose roles are to be investigated, Thackeray on Wednesday denied ever knowing or meeting her and termed the allegations an “evidence-free” attempt at character assassination.

In a post on X, Thackeray said his name had been linked to the case for nearly six years without evidence and alleged that the campaign was 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. Linking my name to this tragic case constantly is a deliberate, evidence-free attempt at character assassination by a few individuals with clear political and personal motives, for almost 6 years,” he said.

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Thackeray said the fresh inquiry should be allowed to proceed without political interference or a “media trial”, adding that television debates would not change the facts. He also said attempts to use the case politically would not deter him from pursuing what he described as the truth.

The CBI registered the FIR on September 14 following the Bombay High Court’s September 2 order directing an investigation into Salian’s death. The FIR names several people, including Thackeray, actor Sooraj Pancholi, Rhea Chakraborty and Dino Morea, among others, whose roles are to be investigated.

The High Court, while ordering the probe, had specifically said that no person should be treated as an accused unless sufficient material was gathered against them during the investigation.

Salian, who had worked as Sushant Singh Rajput’s celebrity manager, died in Mumbai in June 2020, days before the actor’s death. Allegations linking the two cases have since featured repeatedly in political and media debates.

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In a second post on Wednesday, Thackeray said those seeking to use the allegations to silence him would not succeed.

“Once again, for those few, thinking that such malicious attempts being used politically, will hold us back from fighting for the truth, and for fellow citizens, is a failed strategy. We always will, stand by the truth, and fight for it,” he said.