The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR in connection with the 2020 death of Disha Salian, the former manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, after the Bombay High Court directed the agency to probe the circumstances surrounding her death.

The FIR, registered on September 13 by the CBI’s Special Crime Branch, names Disha’s father Satish Ishwar Salian as the complainant. It invokes Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections related to criminal conspiracy, gang rape, murder, destruction of evidence, giving false information to screen offenders, and alleged misconduct by public servants.

The case was registered after the Bombay High Court, on September 2, directed the CBI to appoint an investigating officer, record Satish Salian’s statement, and register an FIR. The court directed the Investigating Officer to probe all aspects surrounding the circumstances of Disha’s death.

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According to the FIR, Satish Salian’s statement was recorded on September 11, following which the case was registered. The FIR records the place of occurrence as Flat No. 1202, Regent Galaxy Apartment, Malwani, Malad West, Mumbai. It states that the alleged incident took place on the intervening night of June 8 and June 9, 2020.

Disha Salian died in June 2020 after allegedly falling from a building in Malad. Malwani police recorded the incident as a case of accidental death.

In his statement reproduced in the FIR, Satish Salian said his daughter, then 28, was working as a celebrity manager and had also worked with Sushant Singh Rajput. He alleged that the family was initially told Disha had died by suicide and that he was under severe shock when police officers asked whether he had any suspicion about her death.

The complainant has alleged that he was not shown his daughter’s body immediately, was later shown photographs at Malwani police station, and developed doubts after allegedly noticing an absence of blood or multiple visible injuries. The FIR records his claim that he was persuaded at the time to accept the version that Disha had consumed alcohol and accidentally fallen from the building.

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The FIR also reproduces several allegations made by Satish Salian regarding purported contradictions in CCTV footage, the alleged position of the body after the fall, records relating to clothing, forensic swabs, mobile phone seizure records, and medical and post-mortem documentation. However, these allegations have not yet been independently established and will form part of the CBI investigation.

The FIR records allegations naming several public figures, police officers, doctors, forensic personnel, security guards and others whose roles, according to the complainant, require investigation.

Satish Salian has alleged that Disha possessed sensitive information relating to certain influential persons and that a conspiracy was hatched to silence her. He has also alleged that evidence was suppressed or fabricated and that a false suicide narrative was created. The FIR records these as allegations made by the complainant.

Disha Salian’s death took place days before Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Bandra residence in June 2020. The two deaths had triggered intense public and political debate, with multiple agencies later examining aspects of Rajput’s death and related allegations.

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The CBI investigation into Salian’s death will now examine the material referred to by the complainant, earlier police records, medical and forensic documents, witness statements, CCTV footage and other evidence connected with the case.