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.
The accused, Gurpinder Singh, 29, a rock salt importer, was arrested in connection with the biggest ever narcotics haul in which the Customs Department had seized 532 kg of heroin worth Rs. 2,700 crore at Attari border in Amritsar, which was smuggled into India from Pakistan in a truck.
Air India will resume flight operations on the Delhi-Kabul and the Lucknow-Najaf routes from August 5 and October 28, respectively, said Air India chief today.
India's second lunar mission was on track as its 'Bahubali' GSLV rocket successfully put the moon spacecraft -- Chandrayaan-2 -- into the orbit in a copy book style on Monday afternoon.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose took note of the submissions of senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi.
