The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has assigned Superintendent of Police Seema Pahuja to oversee its fresh investigation into the 2020 death of Disha Salian, the former manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The development comes after the Bombay High Court directed the CBI to register an FIR and conduct a detailed investigation into the case.
CBI Assigns Seema Pahuja to Lead Disha Salian Death Case Probe
The Central Bureau of Investigation has handed charge of the reopened Disha Salian death case to officer Seema Pahuja, an investigator known for her work on the Hathras case and the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder investigation. Her appointment comes after the Bombay High Court directed the CBI to register a fresh FIR and conduct a thorough probe into the circumstances surrounding Salian’s death more than six years ago.
Disha Salian, who worked as a manager for actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died on June 8, 2020, after falling from the 12th floor of a residential building in Mumbai’s Malad suburb. Her death, initially recorded as a case of suicide by Mumbai Police, occurred just days before Rajput himself was found dead at his Bandra residence, a coincidence that has fuelled years of public speculation linking the two cases. On September 2, the Bombay High Court ordered the CBI to take over the investigation, criticising Mumbai Police for failing to register an FIR in the matter for six years.
Fresh Probe to Revisit Evidence and Records
With Pahuja now overseeing the case, the CBI faces the task of reconstructing a six-year-old investigation, including gathering old evidence, records and witness testimony. Investigators are expected to begin by recording statements from people who attended a gathering at the home of Salian’s fiancé on the night before her death, alongside a review of the original police inquiry, forensic material and case documentation.
While the FIR names several individuals in connection with the case, the CBI has clarified that no one has been automatically designated as an accused, in keeping with the Bombay High Court’s directive. Any individual’s role in the case will instead be determined as evidence emerges during the course of the investigation. Pahuja was earlier awarded a gold medal for ‘Best Investigating Officer’ in 2021, underscoring the profile of the officer now tasked with steering the sensitive probe.
The renewed focus on the Disha Salian death case has reignited public interest in one of the most closely watched unresolved deaths linked to Mumbai’s film industry, with all eyes now on what the CBI’s investigation, led by Pahuja, ultimately uncovers.