Case closed but politics continues

The vociferous attack on the Thackerays by two ruling parties, especially Shiv Sena, over the Disha Salian case took the Shiv Sena (UBT) by surprise.

- SHAILESH GAIKWAD

With the father of the deceased seeking reinvestigation and allegations being made against Aaditya Thackeray, the party had to go on the backfoot. Just when it looked like the Thackerays were getting cornered, the news about the CBI filing the closure report in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case came. The CBI's conclusion that Rajput had died by suicide and there was no foul play came as a setback for the Sena leaders who had been demanding the arrest of Aaditya Thackeray, saying the cases were related. No wonder, the timing of the CBI's filing of the closure report became a talking point in political circles. It also came at a time when it looked like the Disha Salian case would further spoil relations between chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who heads the home department, and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, just when there were signs the two sides were warming up to each other. It is also worth noting that several senior BJP leaders and ministers in Maharashtra maintained silence on the case while their Sena counterparts were quite aggressive.