In the face of continuing controversy over Disha Salian's death, former Maharashtra Minister and Shiv Sena-UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray spoke about the matter on Thursday, alleging a consistent and sustained effort to discredit him in the last five years.
He had contended that the controversy was being brought forward deliberately to take the public attention away from issues of greater import, especially since the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) made a statement regarding the matter of Aurangzeb's mausoleum not being material.
This announcement was made on behalf of Disha Salian's father after he submitted a petition on Wednesday seeking a CBI inquiry into his daughter's death, alleging rape and murder. He directly named Aaditya Thackeray in his petition.
"For the past five years, there has been a continuous effort to defame me. The key fact is that I have repeatedly raised this matter, and you must have gone through my tweets. We (opposition) came together and laid bare this government. Not only us, but even the RSS people have expressed concerns. Only yesterday, RSS leaders spoke of how raising the Aurangzeb matter was unnecessary. So, will BJP ministers now ask for action against them?" Thackeray challenged.
He also drew attention to the deteriorating scenario in Maharashtra, citing rising crimes, women's atrocities, farmer suicides, and overall distress in the state. "Where is Maharashtra going as far as crime and social matters are concerned?" he questioned.
Thackeray also faulted the MahaYuti coalition for not incorporating any of the electoral promises in their 10-point manifesto in the state budget. "We have embarrassed the government on this as well as on the Aurangzeb issue. A minister had to quit over Beed Sarpanch murder case," he added.
Earlier, the Disha Salian issue had been brought up in the Maharashtra Assembly by members of the MahaYuti alliance, who called for Aaditya Thackeray's arrest and questioning in view of the charges made in the petition filed by Disha's father seeking a CBI probe.
BJP member Amit Shah, Shiv Sena member Arjun Khotkar, BJP Minister Nitesh Rane, and Shiv Sena Minister Shabhuraj Desai, all participated in bringing up the issue. BJP MLA Ameet Satam raised the questions regarding Disha Salian's death, highlighting that her death was initially attributed as a suicide with no further investigation. He also mentioned that even though a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed in December 2022, there is no conclusion of the case as yet, and there is mass confusion and suspicion over the reason behind her death.
Satam also questioned the party she purportedly attended before she died, the individuals present, and whether she actually died by murder or not. He cited the spate of speculation surrounding her death, going round media, social media, and the public's mouths, yet without any outcome from the SIT even two years later.
Minister of State for Home, Yogesh Kadam, told the Assembly that the SIT probe into Disha Salian's death is ongoing and its final report is yet to be filed.
Union Minister Kadam assured the Assembly that the probe would be speeded up and no one involved would be spared. "It is true that the SIT report is yet to be filed, but the probe is on. We will hasten the process. It was initially declared a suicide, but now the father of the victim has gone to court. The state government is also a party to the case, and we will act as per the court's orders. The law will be equal for all," he said.
As the tensions heightened in the Assembly, members of the Treasury bench moved into the well of the House, calling for the arrest and interrogation of Aaditya Thackeray in relation to Disha Salian's death. The Speaker, Rahul Narwekar, subsequently adjourned the House for 10 minutes.
Read also| Swati Maliwal Accuses Kejriwal of Using Punjab Farmers' Crackdown for Political Gains
