‘Aryan Khan case staged’: MVA slams NCB on SIT findings

Maharashtra’s ruling alliance partners — Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress — alleged that central agencies were building false cases for political gains.

Mumbai: Maharashtra’s ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Wednesday targeted the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) over its handling of the Aryan Khan-Cordelia drugs bust case, after the agency’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) found no evidence against Khan in any international drugs trafficking syndicate. The SIT also found several irregularities in the raid on the cruise ship, as reported by HT on Wednesday.

Sharjah: Aryan Khan, son of Kolkata Knight Riders team owner and Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, watches the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore during IPL 2020, at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, in Sharjah, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. (PTI Photo/Sportzpics)(PTI12-10-2020_000238A) (PTI)

Maharashtra’s ruling alliance partners — Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress — alleged that central agencies were building false cases for political gains and claimed that state minister Nawab Malik’s allegations of an extortion bid were “true” in light of the SIT’s findings. NCP leader Malik has been arrested on charges of money laundering by the Enforcement Directorate.

On October 2 last year, NCB’s former Mumbai unit zonal director Sameer Wankhede led a team of officers and some witnesses to raid Cordelia at International Cruise Terminal at Green Gate in Mumbai. Aryan, the son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, was subsequently arrested, and was released on bail on October 28.

Sena MP and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said, “The SIT found that Aryan Khan did not have any possession of drugs on him. It was staged; similar false cases are being foisted on us. All this is being exposed gradually. We will soon unmask everybody.”

“The truth has come out through the report. The entire thing was concocted because he was Shah Rukh Khan’s son and they wanted to extort money from him. They wanted to defame him,” he added.

State NCP chief Jayant Patil claimed that Wankhede and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office bearers were left exposed with the news report. “I read HT’s news report today. It indicates that attempts were made to frame Shah Rukh Khan’s son (Aryan) by raiding the cruise and making a lot of noise. The officer (Wankhede) who did all this and the BJP office-bearers who were there along with him have been exposed.”

“The way central agencies are working against Malik, it also made it clear that justice would be denied to all those who would speak truth as it was Malik who made so many revelations and also exposed wrongdoings by NCB officials (in this case),” the NCP leader added.

Patil further said that the SIT in its investigation also reached the conclusion that Aryan was not in the possession of drugs, which was the base of the case and that Malik was also insisting not “to make false cases and stop misuse of central agencies”.

Malik had alleged that an extortion bid was made for ₹25 crore by some agency officials for letting off Aryan Khan. However, the alleged deal did not go through leading to his arrest, he had said.

“As far as the media reports on non-availability of evidence against Aryan Khan are concerned, these are not true and are just speculations and nothing else. These statements were not cross-checked with NCB before being published. The investigation is not yet complete and it is premature to say anything at this stage,” Sanjay Singh, who is also the chief of the SIT on Aryan’s case, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant on Wednesday demanded action against NCB officials, while attacking the agency’s Mumbai unit’s former zonal director Sameer Wankhede for the handling of the case.

“SIT has revealed that Aryan Khan didn’t hv drugs & exposed mistakes made by Wankhede team during raid. Clear that @nawabmalikncp’s allegations were true & extortion racket was going on. Why no action was taken against NCB officials for visible violation of rules in NCB Rulebook? (sic),” he tweeted.

He further said that BJP office bearers were involved in the raid, and that the party must issue a public apology. “BJP office bearer was involved in this raid as a panch. @BJP4Maharashtra leaders were backing these officials. BJP must issue a public apology. Action should be taken against entire team of Wankhede along with officers who backed it. All previous complaints must be investigated (sic),” he said in another tweet.

Sena Rajya Sabha MP and deputy leader of the party, Priyanka Chaturvedi, said the state has exposed the misuse of the Central Bureau of Investigation and it will soon expose ED officials misusing their authority. “Maharashtra exposed how CBI was misused by central government during SSR case, final closure report still awaited. Now NCB forced to admit wrongdoing on part of its officials in the drugs case. Next will be exposing ED officials misusing their authority to please the centre (sic),” she tweeted.

Reacting to the developments, BJP legislator Atul Bhatkhalkar said, “The NCB has already said that no clean chit has been given to anybody including Aryan Khan; it is still being investigated. With regards to Malik’s allegations of extortion, if they have proof, they must give it to the relevant authorities such as the Anti-Corruption Bureau.”