Karan Johar

Former executive employee at Dharmatic Entertainment (the digital arm of Dharma Productions owned by Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar), Kshitij Prasad, alleged that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) coerced him to ?falsely implicate? Bollywood producer Karan Johar and several other executives of his production in the alleged case of ?drug consumption. Reportedly, upon refusal, Prasad even accused NCB official Sameer Wankhede of making him sit on the floor and holding up a show on his face saying this was Prasad’s worth.

Prasad was arrested on Sunday for allegedly being a part of the Bollywood drug nexus.

However, the agency has denied any of the above charges by saying that the investigation was instead being executed in a professional way.

As per a report in Indian Express, The former Dharmatic Entertainment employee told a Mumbai court on Sunday that the agency had forced him to falsely implicate Karan and his associates. NCBs Deputy DG Mutha Ashok Jain refuted the allegations and said that the probe was progressing in a professional manner.

Prasads lawyer Satish Maneshinde said the NCB had harassed and blackmailed his client. Maneshinde was quoted in the report as saying, The NCB officers apart from Sameer Wankhede were courteous to Kshitij and provided him with a comfortable sleeping arrangement. The next morning when his statement recording resumed, Kshitij was categorically informed by Sameer Wankhede in the presence of several other officers, that since he was associated with Dharma Productions, they would let him off if he implicated Karan Johar and some others, 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.

Refuting Prasads claims, NCB Deputy DG Jain said that the probe was conducted in a professional manner; there was no intended target other than what is revealed during the investigation.

Johar in a statement issued last week had clarified that he didn’t know Prasad personally as he had only briefly been employed with Johars firm in 2019.

Johar said, In view of the current malicious campaign, I am reiterating that the allegations are completely baseless and false. No narcotics substance was consumed in the party. I WOULD LIKE TO UNEQUIVOCALLY ONCE AGAIN STATE THAT I DO NOT CONSUME NARCOTICS AND I DO NOT PROMOTE OR ENCOURAGE CONSUMPTION OF ANY SUCH SUBSTANCE.

He added, I would like to further 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. 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.

Mr. Kshitij Ravi Prasad joined Dharmatic Entertainment (sister concern of Dharma Productions) in November 2019 as one of the executive producers on contract basis for a project which eventually did not materialise, said Johar.