Mumbai, Dec 12: Mumbai Police on Tuesday formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the death of Disha Salian, the ex-manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, an official said.

He said Malvani police station senior inspector Chimaji Adhav will investigate the case and the investigation will be supervised by Deputy Commissioner of Police Ajay Bansal.

Salian (28) was found dead on June 8, 2020, days before Rajput (34) was found hanging in his flat in suburban Bandra in Mumbai. According to police, Salian allegedly committed suicide by jumping from a high-rise building in Malad.

Her father Satish Salian had written to police stating that he didn't suspect any foul play in his daughter's death. He had also expressed "complete satisfaction" with the probe by Mumbai Police.

Reacting to the formation of the SIT, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said the party cannot be cowed down with such pressure tactics.

Taking a dig at the BJP, Raut said they can hand over the investigation to American and Russian spy agencies, the CIA and KGB, respectively.

"We do not pay heed to such pressure tactics. Set up an SIT or hand over the probe to the CIA or KGB. The Central and state governments are a factory to malign their political opponents," Raut said.

"The time of the current dispensation is spent only on setting up SITs against opposition leaders," he alleged and claimed Maharashtra will see a change of government in 2024.

The death of Salian was at the center of political allegations in the state with the BJP, then in the opposition, accusing the erstwhile Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government of hushing up the matter.

The announcement to set up an SIT in the Salian case was made by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also heads the Home Department, in the winter session of the state legislature last year.

Some leaders had alleged that Salian was murdered and sought to drag the name of MLA Aaditya Thackeray, the son of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, into the case.

Notably, BJP MLC Pravin Darekar last week said several leaders had been demanding for long that an SIT be formed. His colleague Prasad Lad had said an SIT would clear all doubts (about Salian's case).

Earlier in the day, Uddhav Thackeray told reporters in Nagpur that he didn't have any official information about the formation of the SIT in the Salian case.

"If anything official comes out, then that day we will reveal the information we have about them. If they level false allegations against us, then we will bring out the true information against them," the Sena (UBT) leader said without naming anyone.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve told reporters that the announcement for SIT was made last year as well and that Salian's death was investigated on earlier occasions also.

"I demand that an SIT probe also be initiated into Judge Loya's death. If you want to probe Disha Salian's death, you can do it....Politics is being done," Danve told reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan premises in Nagpur where the winter session of the state legislature is currently underway.

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Mumbai, Jul 25 (PTI): Police have opposed the bail plea of the Bangladeshi national arrested for allegedly stabbing Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan with a knife and injuring him at his home here in January this year, telling a Mumbai court there was "strong evidence" against the accused.

Citing a Forensic Science Laboratory report, police reiterated before the sessions court their earlier claim knife fragments that got lodged near the actor's spine during the attack as well as a part found at the crime spot have matched with the weapon recovered from the accused, Shariful Islam.

These three pieces were part of the same weapon (knife) used to attack the filmstar, the police said in a written response to the accused's plea submitted in the court on Thursday (July 24).

Khan was repeatedly stabbed with a knife by an intruder inside his 12th floor apartment in upscale Bandra on January 16 during a robbery attempt.

The 54-year-old actor underwent surgery at Lilavati Hospital to remove a piece of knife that got lodged near his spine during the attack. He was discharged from the private hospital after five days.

Shariful Islam, a Bangladeshi national, was arrested two days later for allegedly stabbing Khan.

The police, in their response, highlighted that the accused is a Bangladeshi citizen residing illegally in India.

If granted bail, there was a possibility that he may flee India and not appear before the court during the trial. The crime committed by the accused is of a "very serious nature, and strong evidence" is available against him, they argued.

In his bail plea, filed through advocate Vipul Dushing, the accused asserted he was innocent and had no prior criminal record.

Investigation into the case has practically concluded with only the filing of a chargesheet pending, the accused contended while seeking bail.

The alleged attacker has been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections related to house trespass, robbery and dacoity with attempt to cause death or grievous injury.