NCP leader Nawab Malik calls NCB cruise raid ‘fake’; agency, BJP hit back | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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NCP leader Nawab Malik calls NCB cruise raid ‘fake’; agency, BJP hit back

ByHT Correspondents, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
Oct 07, 2021 05:29 AM IST

The NCP also questioned the presence of two persons along with the NCB team during the raid, claiming one of them was a member of the BJP

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday termed the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) raid on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast on October 2 as “fake”, alleging no narcotic drugs were found during it, even as it questioned the presence of two persons along with the NCB team during the raid, claiming one of them was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

NCP leader Nawab Malik also released a few videos, purportedly of the NCB cruise raid. He alleged the BJP was using NCB to defame people who are against them and also using its leaders and workers in raids.
NCP leader Nawab Malik also released a few videos, purportedly of the NCB cruise raid. He alleged the BJP was using NCB to defame people who are against them and also using its leaders and workers in raids.

Both the NCB and BJP denied the NCP charges as “baseless”.

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Maharashtra minorities affairs minister and NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik on Wednesday claimed that the two men, who escorted Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan and another accused Arbaaz Merchant to the NCB’s Mumbai office were private individuals and not officers, adding that the arrest was a conspiracy involving the NCB and the BJP to defame Maharashtra, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government and the film industry.

“One of them is Manish Bhanushali, who claims to be a BJP office-bearer and the other is KP Gosawi, who claims to be a private detective,” said Malik at a press conference in Mumbai. Photographs of Gosawi, posing with Khan, went viral a few days ago.

The NCP leader also released a few videos, purportedly of the raid.

In one of the videos, KP Gosawi can be seen bringing Aryan Khan to NCB office and in the second, Manish Bhanushali can be seen bringing Arbaaz Merchant to the NCB office, Malik alleged.

“According to the Bhanushali’s Facebook profile, he is a BJP vice president and has photos with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, BJP chief JP Nadda and other senior leaders including those from Maharashtra such as Devendra Fadnavis and Ashish Shelar,” Malik told reporters at party headquarters at Ballard Pier in South Mumbai.

“He (Manish Bhanushali) was in Delhi to meet some ministers at their official residences on September 21. Between September 22 and 28, he held many meetings at Mantralaya situated in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The dates September 21 and 22 are very important as during the same period a massive drug haul was caught at Mundra port situated in Gujarat. He was meeting whom in Delhi? He met which (BJP) ministers in Gujarat? What was he doing in Mantralaya in Gujarat? All this needs to be answered,” Malik said.

“BJP is using NCB to defame people who are against them and also using its leaders and workers in raids. What is Bhanushali’s connection with the massive drug haul caught in Gujarat...BJP in connivance with NCB is defaming Maharashtra, MVA government and the Film Industry,” he alleged.

Meanwhile, Bhanushali told a TV channel that he was a BJP worker and that the NCB conducted the raid based on his tip. “I did not bring Arbaaz to the NCP office but was accompanying the NCB officers as I was asked by them to come and sign documents as a witness. The raid was conducted with the help of the information provided by me about the drug party,” Bhanushali told ABP Majha, a Marathi news channel.

Rejecting the accusations, NCB deputy director general Gyaneshwar Singh said panchanamas (filings) during the raid and while arresting the accused were made as per legal provisions. He added there were nine independent witnesses and Manish Bhanushali and Kiran Gosawi were two of them.

“The allegations made against the agency are baseless and if anyone has any reservation, he or she can approach the court and we will appropriately reply to them,” Singh said. Without mentioning that the NCB had recently arrested Nawab Malik’s son-in-law in a drug abuse case, Singh said allegations were perhaps levelled by persons affected by the action taken by the agency.

Meanwhile, the BJP said the NCP should clarify whether they are opposing or supporting the action against the drug mafia.

Devendra Fadnavis, leader of opposition in Maharashtra assembly, said, “Everybody knows about the reason for Nawab Malik’s anger against NCB and why he is targeting the agency. Instead of raising questions on the people present there, he should ask whether there were drugs in the party or not? Whether the party took place or not? I do not want to speak more on Malik as he is not that important.”

Keshav Upadhye, Maharashtra BJP spokesperson, said, “First of all, the NCP should clarify whether they support or oppose action against the drug mafia. We suspect Nawab Malik has other intentions behind making the allegations rather than supporting actor Shah Rukh Khan.”

“It is up to the NCB to decide if they want to take action over involving private people in the raid. We have no objection to it. By having pictures with senior BJP leaders, one cannot become a BJP leader,” Upadhye added.

Congress’ Maharashtra general secretary and spokesperson Sachin Sawant said the state government should probe the allegations levelled by Malik. “The truth behind the raids should come to the fore. Why were private persons there with the NCP officers? How can a BJP vice president accompany NCB officers during the raids? What are the links between BJP and NCB? How can a person who is facing criminal cases be part of the team raiding a party? All these questions need to be answered,” he said.

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