- Sooraj Pancholi stated he never met Disha Salian directly or indirectly
- He recorded his statement with the CBI 4-5 days before his Instagram post
- Disha Salian died by falling from a 14th floor building in June 2020
A day after MLA Aaditya Thackeray, actors Dino Morea, and Rhea Chakraborty's names appeared in the FIR filed by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the death of Disha Salian, former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, actor Sooraj Pancholi put out a lengthy Instagram post, claiming he never met Disha 'directly' or 'indirectly'.
Sooraj Pancholi was referred to in a petition and subsequent submissions filed by Disha Salian's father, Satish Salian, with the petitioner's side seeking scrutiny of their phone records and other material.
On Monday, the actor called out the media for bringing him disrepute by mentioning his name without 'verifying' details. He also said that he had recorded his statement with the CBI 4-5 days ago. Going forward, he said he would help the agencies with further investigation.
What Sooraj Pancholi Wrote On Instagram
Dismissing reports of any kind of connection with Disha Salian, Sooraj Pancholi wrote, "I have never met Late Disha Salian in my life, directly or indirectly. I have also never met Aditya Thackeray in my life!It is honestly very unfair and extremely upsetting to see my name being dragged into something that I have absolutely nothing to do with, especially when there is no evidence or proof connecting me to this matter."
"I strongly support a fair and thorough CBI investigation into the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate demise of Late Disha Salian. At the same time, I also believe that there should be an investigation into the malicious propaganda and false narratives being created around this unfortunate incident, because someone's death should never become a reason to destroy another person's reputation without evidence," he wrote.
The actor also cautioned people to be wary of what they see and read in the news or on social media. "A headline is not evidence. A debate is not evidence. Someone saying something on television does not make it a fact."
Sooraj Pancholi also said he has "faith in the law".
"I have faith in the investigating agencies. And have faith that ultimately, the truth will come out," he added.
The Disha Salian Case
Disha Salian was found dead on June 8, 2020, after falling off the 14th floor of a residential building in Mumbai's Malad area. Police then registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in the case.
Last week, Salian's father recorded his statement before the CBI as part of the investigation.
In his statement, Satish Salian alleged that several individuals, including former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, his son and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, and others, played a significant role in an alleged conspiracy and subsequent cover-up.
The Bombay High Court's September 2 order for the CBI probe came after a petition filed by Disha Salian's father alleging lapses by Mumbai Police in the investigation into his daughter's death in June 2020.
The court reprimanded Mumbai Police for failing to register an FIR for six years, observing that its investigation "raises more questions than answers" and pointed to "glaring discrepancies" in the investigation.
The court had also noted that copies of the post-mortem report and the ADR had not been provided to Salian's family even six years after her death.
After conducting an inquiry, the police claimed that Disha Salian's death was a case of suicide. Her father, however, filed a petition in the High Court last year alleging that his daughter was gang-raped and murdered.
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