NCB targeting Bollywood, Thackeray to write to Modi, says Malik
Darpan News Desk IANS, 26 Oct, 2021 11:53 AM
Mumbai, Oct 26 (IANS) Concerned over the manner in which Bollywood is being "targeted" by the Narcotics Control Bureau for the past over one year, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will write to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue, Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik said on Tuesday.
The minister met his NCP colleague and Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil and the CM this evening to discuss setting up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the ongoing fallout of the cruise rave party by the NCB.
"The CM expressed his concerns at how Bollywood's image is being maligned globally. After Hollywood, it's the most important film industry, employs millions of people and contributes around 3-4 percent to the national GDP. The CM will write to the PM highlighting the matter," Malik told media persons.
On the issue of probing the issues revealed by a NCB "Panch Witness" related to the ship raid, Thackeray and Walse-Patil have assured that necessary action like lodging a police complaint would be taken up.
The state government is likely to probe the purported revelations made by "Panch-Witness' Prabhakar Sail on alleged bribery deals by the NCB through conduit Kiran Gosavi, who is currently absconding.
Malik's meetings were a followup of a 26-point letter which he placed in the public domain, sent by a NCB whistle-blower on condition of anonymity, highlighting the alleged goings on in the central probe agency.
Meanwhile, Marathi film actress Kranti Redkar-Wankhede, and Yasmeen Wankhede -- the wife and sister, respectively, of NCB Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede -- slammed Malik at a joint press conference.
Accusing Malik of misusing his position and indulging in "kitchen politics", the duo also dismissed allegations levelled against Wankhede and dared the minister to prove them in a court of law.
They claimed that despite getting police protection, their families are being trolled in a foul manner and getting death threats from all over India, but asserted they are not scared.
Simultaneously, Bharatiya Janata Party activist Mohit (Kamboj) Bharatiya lodged a defamation complaint against Malik, charging him with resorting to falsehoods and misusing his ministerial position.
A three-judge Bench headed by Justice NV Ramana on Monday issued notice to the Meghalaya government after senior counsel PS Patwalia questioned the order passed by the state high court in a review petition filed by the state government.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was the butt of Twitter trolls on Monday after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government put up large hoardings across the capital wishing the people on Ganesh Chaturthi with a large picture of Kejriwal on them but sans any image of Lord Ganesha.
Confirming receipt of the lawyer's complaint, the police said it was being studied before any action against Rashid, who was JNU Student's Union vice-president in 2015-16 and is associated with the political party named the J&K Peoples Movement.
As former bureaucrat Shah Faesal knocked at the door of the Delhi High Court against his recent detention at the airport, a Division Bench of the court, headed by Justice Manmohan, issued notice to the Centre seeking its response.
Filmmaker Aparna Sen, who was among the 49 celebrities who had written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on rising mob lynching cases in the country, is also a signatory in the letter.
