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 total of 28 civilians have been killed by terrorists in Kashmir in 2021, IG Kashmir Vijay Kumar said in a statement on Thursday. The statement further said that in all such cases, the terrorists used pistols.
Farmers allege that the minister's son was in one of the cars that mowed the farmers. Ashish has been named in the FIR lodged in connection with the incident under IPC Section 302 (murder).
Fortunately, no one is injured in the incident, which was the fourth such case in Bengaluru in the last 15 days. The families who lived in the apartment managed to escape as soon as they got the first indication.
According to the farmer leaders, the last rites of three farmers was performed as wish of their families and with full customs. While one family, demanding the re-postmortem, has refused to perform the cremation.
The Deputy Chief Minister, who is also holding the Health portfolio, said 2.16 lakh people got vaccinated on Tuesday. Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur and Patiala were the top five districts in immunisation.
The meeting lasted over half an hour and it is understood that Mishra might have made his position clear in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. Earlier, he went to his office in the North Block and stayed there for a while.
