The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Monday refuted allegations of humiliation and torment of Kshitij Prasad , executive producer at Dharma Productions, while being investigated in the drug case registered after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Mr. Prasad was arrested on September 26 and remanded in NCB custody the next day till October 3. The NCB said, “Mr. Prasad was arrested as some incriminating evidences were recovered from him and his involvement in offences under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances”.
Advocate Satish Maneshinde, for Mr. Prasad, told the court on Sunday that his client was “harassed and blackmailed to make a statement apart from third degree and ill treatment.” He also said, “Kshitij was categorically informed by Sameer Wankhede [NCB officer] in the presence of several other officers, that since he was associated with Dharma Productions, they would let him off if he implicated either Karan Johar, Somel Mishra, Rakhi, Apoorva, Neeraj or Rahil 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.”
Soon thereafter, news articles referring to the same were published. The NCB on Monday evening released a press note that said, “the news items purportedly released by Mr. Maneshinde alleging humiliation and torment of Mr. Prasad is mischievous and completely untrue.”
The NCB said it informed the magistrate on Sunday that Mr. Prasad was not cooperating with the investigation. The court then recorded, “From the submission of the accused, it reveals that no physical ill-treatment was given to him during the course of his custody with the NCB authority. Furthermore, he has no complaint about the physical ill-treatment”.
The press released added, “NCB reiterates that the allegations circulating in the news items are baseless and devoid of any truth.”