After NCB detains producer Kshitij Prasad, Karan Johar says 'not Dharma Productions employee'
Sep 26, 2020
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 26 : The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Friday detained a Dharma Productions executive producer for questioning in connection with an alleged drug nexus in Bollywood.
Dharma Productions executive producer Kshitij Ravi Prasad has not been arrested as of now. He has been detained for questioning in connection with a drug probe, NCB sources said.
Responding to the same, filmmaker and owner of Dharma Production Karan Johar late on Friday night denied the claims that Prasad is associated with the organisation. He said Prasad had joined Dharmatic Entertainment, a sister concern of Dharma productions, in November 2019 as one of the executive producers "on contract basis for a project which did not eventually materialise" while Anubhav Chopra, who was also questioned by the NCB, worked with them on projects for short durations between 2011 and 2013.
"I would like to state that several media/news channels have been airing news reports that Kshitij Prasad and Anubhav Chopra are my "aides"/"close aides". I would like to place on record that I do not know these individuals personally and neither of these two individuals are "aides" or "close aides"," Johar said in a statement.
"Neither I nor Dharma Productions can be made responsible for what people do in their personal lives. These allegations do not pertain to Dharma Productions," he added.
In his statement, Johar further said he had never consumed narcotics nor does he promote them. "All these slanderous and malicious statements, news articles and news clippings have unnecessarily subjected me, my family, and my colleagues, and Dharma Productions, to hatred contempt and ridicule," he said, adding that he may not be left with any option but to take legal action.
The NCB had launched an investigation into the drugs case after it received official communication from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which was investigating the money trail related to actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. In the investigation, many revelations surfaced including various chats related to drug consumption, procurement, usage, and transportation.
The ED had on July 31 registered an Enforcement Case Information Report in the late actor's death case after a First Information Report was filed by Rajput's father KK Singh against Rhea Chakraborty in Bihar on July 28.
Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14.
