The drug nexus in Bollywood has certainly been a very ugly one now. There have been so many names that have come up in the news and now it is Karan Johar and the staffers of Dharma Production that are being questioned by the Narcotics Control Bureau. They are basically trying to investigate the video that Karan Johar shared a year back where many top stars seemed to under the influence of drugs. Now, Kshitij Ravi Prasad, an ex staffer of Dharma Production was arrested by the NCB and his lawyer has revealed some details that put the NCB in bad light.
Satish Maneshinde, his lawyer, has stated that his client faced harassment and torment at the hands of NCB. He stated that he was forced to make a statement implicating Karan Johar and was not allowed to talk to his lawyer or his family. As reported by The Indian Express, Satish Maneshinde said, “The NCB officers apart from Sameer Wankhede were courteous to Kshitij and provided him with a comfortable sleeping arrangement. The next morning when his statement recording resumed, Kshitij was categorically informed by Sameer Wankhede in the presence of several other officers, that since he was associated with Dharma Productions, they would let him off if he implicated Karan Johar and some others, falsely alleging that they consumed drugs. Kshitij refused to comply with this despite the pressure being mounted on him as he did not know any of these people personally and did not wish to falsely implicate anyone.”
The lawyer also reportedly stated that his client was made to sit on the floor and Sameer Wankhede kept his shoe next to his face. He further added, “Sameer Wankhede informed him (Prasad) that if he wished to be granted a call, he should sign the statement they had prepared which he could retract later. Kshitij was unaware of the legalities involved and had never even come across this term ‘retraction of statement’. Sameer Wankhede then informed him that if he did not sign the statement, the pressure would continue to mount and he would not be given access to his family or lawyer. At the end of nearly 50 hours of interrogation, humiliation and torment, Kshitij in his desperation to speak to his lawyer or family, unwillingly and under threats signed the statement.”
However, on the other hand, NCB’s Deputy DG (South West), Mutha Ashok Jain rubbished these claims and stated that the investigation was being carried out in a professional manner. He was quoted saying, “The investigation is being carried out in a professional manner and there is no intended target other than what is revealed during the investigation. The allegations (by Prasad) are absolutely untrue.”
