SRK was told Aryan was trapped since his dad spoke his mind: Nawab Malik

A day after Aryan Khan came home on bail with a hero’s welcome, Sameer Wankhede, Narcotic Control Bureau’s (NCB) Mumbai zone director, continued to be in the spotlight. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Maharashtra’s Minority Development Minister Nawab Malik said there were attempts to silence him in Wankhede’s case involving allegations of extortion and false caste certificates.

Malik had earlier accused Wankhede of using a forged Scheduled Caste (SC) certificate to obtain a government job. He further said Wankhede is, in fact, a Muslim. The NCB official has categorically denied Malik’s allegations.

On Sunday, Wankhede found support coming in from Union Minister of State for Social Justice, Ramdas Athawale, who said   Malik was “conspiring to defame” the NCB official. “If he says that Sameer is a Muslim then why is he, a Muslim too, levelling allegations? The Republican Party stands with them. Sameer won’t be harmed,” Athawale was quoted as saying by media reports.

Calls for silence

In his latest salvo, Malik said Shah Rukh Khan was told that his son Aryan was ‘trapped’ in the alleged drug bust because he (Shah Rukh) spoke his mind. Further, he himself was asked to pipe down his accusations against Wankhede, the minister alleged.

Also read: What Shah Rukh Khan can do to bring hope to India’s undertrials

“When I started (raising allegations against the NCB chief), people I know told me to stop. They said that Shah Rukh Khan is being told that his son is trapped as he (Khan) speaks. My lawyer son was being brainwashed by other lawyers. He used to tell me to stop,” news agency ANI quoted Malik as saying.

“Some people said that matters relating to drugs involve money, goons and I could lose my life. Attempts were made to silence me. But I had said that we will take this to a logical end. If someone says they will kill Nawab Malik, then I’ll die the day I have to,” he added.

Insisting that his fight was against fraud, and not against a particular religion or caste, Malik said he stood by statements. “I stand by my statement that he’s (Sameer Wankhede) on post by forging SC certificate. He snatched away a poor SC man’s rights. Fight against fraud not religion/caste. I urge Arun Haldar (Vice-Chairman of the National Commission for SC) to maintain his post’s dignity,” said Malik.

Aryan Khan was arrested along with Arbaaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha and others in early October following an NCB raid on a cruise headed for Goa from Mumbai.