Disha Salian’s father, Satish Salian, has sought police protection as the renewed investigation into his daughter’s 2020 death continues to generate legal and political attention.
Advocate Nilesh Ojha, who represents Satish, said protection has been requested for four people: Satish Salian, Ojha, former NCB officer Sameer Wankhede and Ashutosh Pathak. Ojha alleges they have faced threats from people associated with Shiv Sena (UBT), although those threat allegations have not been independently established.
According to Ojha, letters seeking security have been sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the CBI, Chief Justice of India and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Ojha says protection was sought after CBI took over
Speaking to ANI, Ojha said, “The CBI FIR was registered, and a letter was immediately written requesting police protection for four individuals.”
He argued that security should be provided under the Witness Protection Scheme and alleged that authorities had not acted on the request. Ojha has also named Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders while describing alleged threats against the legal team. Those statements remain his claims; the reports reviewed do not establish that police or another authority has independently verified a threat against the four applicants.
Concerns over security had surfaced even before the latest request. When Satish and his lawyers went to serve a ₹500 crore defamation notice on Aaditya Thackeray at Matoshree on September 19, Satish said his lawyer had been threatened. Police were present at the location, where a brief confrontation occurred as party workers gathered.
The CBI probe followed a Bombay High Court order
The protection request comes weeks after the Bombay High Court directed the CBI to investigate Disha Salian’s death.
In its September 2 order, the court said the earlier investigation contained issues requiring a proper probe and directed the CBI to register an FIR and examine the circumstances of her death. Crucially, the court also said no individual should be treated as an accused unless sufficient material emerges during the investigation.
That distinction is important because Ojha and Satish have made allegations against several public figures during their efforts to secure a fresh investigation. Those allegations should not be confused with findings by the CBI or the court.
Disha Salian, a 28-year-old celebrity manager who had briefly worked with Sushant Singh Rajput, died after falling from a residential building in Mumbai in June 2020. The original Mumbai Police inquiry treated the death as accidental and later concluded there was no evidence of foul play. A state-appointed SIT also previously reported no foul play. The High Court’s 2026 order has now resulted in a fresh CBI examination.
Aaditya Thackeray has denied the allegations
Aaditya Thackeray has repeatedly denied having any connection to Disha Salian.
Earlier this month, he said he had never met or known her and described attempts to link him to the case as an evidence-free effort to damage his reputation. He has said he supports an impartial investigation.
Thackeray has also rejected the ₹500 crore defamation notice served by Satish Salian, calling it legally untenable and denying the claims made against him.
For now, the latest development is therefore about security rather than a new finding in Disha’s death investigation.
Satish Salian and his legal team say they fear for their safety and want formal protection while the CBI conducts its probe. There has been no publicly confirmed decision yet granting the requested security or an official finding validating the alleged threats.
