Producers should not cast actors accused in drug case in their films: Ramdas Athawale

Sep 26, 2020

New Delhi [India], September 26 : Telling producers not to cast the actors accused in the drug case related to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, Union Minister and Republic Party of India (RPI) President Ramdas Athawale on Saturday said that his party will not allow the screening of the films casting these actors.
"Those actors against whom action has been taken by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), should not be taken in any movie by producers. If they are taken in any movie, the RPI will stop the shooting of those films and will not let those films be screened," Athawale tweeted in Marathi.
In the following tweet, he said that there should not be any discrimination between male and female actors and the agency should equally probe whoever's name comes up in the matter.
"A message is going that NCB is investigating only female artists on suspicion of consumption of drugs. If there are names of male actors, they should also be investigated. There should be no discrimination between men and women. But this question should also not be ignored that how come only female actors' names are coming. That's it," he tweeted.
Speaking to ANI about the probe, Athawale said, "We need to end this menace of drugs & curb its smuggling, NCB should probe it. But CBI should also come to a conclusion soon & investigate this new drug angle related to Sushant's death."
Notably, Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone was earlier today questioned by the NCB for nearly six hours in connection with the drug case. Padukone and KWAN talent management agency's Karishma Prakash are being interrogated currently and they being are confronted with each other on their individual statements in the matter.
Karishma Prakash, an employee at KWAN, has also been questioned in the past.
The NCB, which is probing the drug angle in Rajput's death case, had on Wednesday summoned actors Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor, Rakulpreet Singh, Simone Khambatta and celebrity manager Shruti Modi in the matter.
The NCB had launched an investigation after it received official communication from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in which there were various chats related to drug consumption, procurement, usage and transportation.
The ED had on July 31 registered an Enforcement Case Information Report in the actor's death case after an FIR 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.