Disha Salian’s mother hands over a letter to Mayor Kishori Pednekar and members of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women at their home. Pic/Twitter

Celebrity manager Disha Salian’s death in June 2020 continues to be a bone of contention between the Shiv Sena and BJP, even as her parents have issued a warning that politicians will be held responsible if their harassment leads them to taking their own lives. Vasanti and Satish Salian spoke to the media on Tuesday after BJP legislator Nitesh Rane hinted at the involvement of Sachin Waze in Disha’s death.

Refuting politics in the case, state BJP president Chandrakant Patil said that all evidence of ‘murder’ will come out after March 7.

The Salians spoke after Mayor Kishori Pednekar and two members of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women visited their Dadar home on Tuesday. The couple handed the commission members a complaint of harassment by the people who have raked up the death yet again. On Monday, the commission asked the Malwani police to file a report in the case. 

Pednekar had lodged a complaint against Nitesh Rane’s Union minister father, Narayan Rane, with the commission. The senior Rane had alleged last week that Disha was raped before she was killed last year. He also alleged that actor Sushant Singh Rajput was murdered because he had identified Disha’s killers and vowed to nail them. He had mentioned Waze, hinting that the ex-cop could become an approver in the case.

Disha’s parents urged politicians to leave them alone. “You don’t understand our grief. Nothing had happened to our only daughter. She was upset after losing some business deals and took the extreme step of suicide,” said Vasanti, adding, “Stop spreading lies and harassing us. Our lives have turned into hell. Spare us, please. Politicians will be responsible if we do something drastic to ourselves.”

Maharashtra State Commission for Women chairperson Rupali Chakankar said the commission has asked the Mumbai police to submit a report in two days including Disha’s postmortem report, a copy of the FIR, and other documents related to the case. 

Pednekar said the accusers didn’t trust the investigating agency, the CBI, and Disha’s post-mortem report. “Instead of making statements in the news media and social media, they should submit evidence to the investigators. Let there be a probe. Let the truth come out,” she said. 

Nitesh Rane took to Twitter early Tuesday morning alleging a cover-up. “Disha was apparently taken 2 her Malad home in a black Merc on the 8th night from the party. Sachin Waze also owned a black Merc which is with the investigation agencies now. Is it the same car? He was reinstated in the police department on the 9th of June. Connection?”

He said the mayor’s complaint and the commission’s demand for a police report was a cover-up. “N because the Malvani police station didn’t do a free n fair investigation the case was given to the CBI.. right? N now the same police station is been asked to submit a report by the state women commission? How fair is that? Who r they trying to save?” he tweeted. Later in the day, he said he was fighting to get Disha justice and hoped that the mayor’s visit wasn’t aimed at pressuring her parents.

State BJP chief Chandrakant Patil promised a mega-exposé in the case next month. “There is no politics. The truth in the Disha Salian case will be out after March 7. All evidence will be given. It will be clear who will go to jail. Some people are buying courage and using bad language. It is like the fluttering of a lamp before it goes off.”

Disha, 28, died allegedly by suicide in Malad on June 8, 2020, six days before actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found hanging at his Bandra apartment.

Actor Akshay Kumar calls on UP CM Yogi Adityanath in Mumbai on Tuesday

Mumbai/Lucknow: CM Uddhav Thackeray took a veiled dig at his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday, saying “no one can come to Maharashtra and take away industries from here.” Thackeray was speaking at an event organised by the IMC Chamber of Commerce.

The remarks came ahead of Yogi Adityanath’s scheduled meeting with representatives of Mumbai’s film industry on Wednesday. The UP CM flew down to Mumbai on Tuesday to attend the listing ceremony of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation bond at the Bombay Stock Exchange on Wednesday. He will also meet several industry representatives to discuss investment opportunities in UP.

To finalise the process for setting up UP’s Film City, a UP government spokesperson said, Yogi Adityanath will meet Rahul Mittra, Subhash Ghai, Boney Kapoor, Bhushan Kumar of T-Series, Jatin Sethi of Zee Studio, Anand Pandit, Baba Azmi, Neeraj Pathak, Randeep Hooda, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Jimmy Shergill, Taran Adarsh, Komal Nahta and Raj Kumar Santoshi. “He will discuss with them what facilities are required at the Film City and how could they contribute to the development,” the spokesperson said.

Thackeray said, “Maharashtra is not afraid of competition, but no one can forcibly take businesses away from the state, that will not be allowed. We are not jealous about anyone’s progress, but it has to happen through fair competition.”

Thackeray said the key words ‘Magnetic Maharashtra’ used by the state to draw investors were powerful. “Maharashtra’s culture and institutions are its strength. Some people are coming today, they will also meet you all and ask you to come to them. But the ‘magnetic’ strength of Maharashtra is so powerful that it will stop things from going from here, but it can also happen that somebody from there comes here,” Thackeray said.

Yogi Adityanath had in September announced a proposal for setting up a Film City, for which a 1,000-acre plot in Sector 21 of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority has been chosen. The site is 6 km away from the proposed Jewar International Airport and an hour’s drive from Delhi. As per the preliminary plan, the area will be divided into five zones that will consist of entrance and office, shooting area and residential, theme park and outdoor location, university and studio rooms, and airport. Along with facility for shooting, it will also provide infrastructure for post-production work and have production studios.

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said on Tuesday that no one can shift any industry that generates employment in the state, including the film industry. “Yogi ji may be coming here to study the Film City and facilities being provided to the industry, but nobody can take the Film City and its glamour away from Mumbai,” Patil told reporters. He said every state has the right to develop or provide some facilities to the film industry.

Thackeray said even if the pandemic is not over yet, the wheels of economy have been set in motion again in the state. He said Rs 60,000 crore of investment MoUs have been finalized this year, and work on 70% of them is underway in terms of land allotment and permissions.

(With inputs from PTI)