The National Commission for Scheduled Castes will investigate a complaint by Indian Revenue Service officer Sameer Wankhede, who alleged that he was harassed by the deputy director general of Narcotics Control Bureau official during an inquiry into the Aryan Khan case, PTI reported on Wednesday.
An investigation was launched against actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan after the anti-drugs agency on October 2 claimed to have seized 13 grams of cocaine, five grams of mephedrone, 21 grams of charas, 22 pills of MDMA (ecstasy) and Rs 1.3 lakh from the ship from a cruise ship in Mumbai.
Wankhede had been investigating the case till November 5. His tenure at the Narcotics Control Bureau ended on December 31, after which he was posted with the Directorate General of Taxpayer Services in Chennai.
In May, the agency filed a chargesheet against 14 persons and cleared six persons, including Aryan Khan due to insufficient evidence.
On October 19, Deputy Director General Gyaneshwar Singh headed a vigilance inquiry in the Mumbai cruise ship drugs cases and found irregularities in the investigation. He recommended action against erring officers, including those who were deputed to the Narcotics Control Bureau at the time.
Wankhede filed a complaint with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes against “Singh’s vendetta”, The Print reported.
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes said that Wankhede has met the chairperson of the panel and discussed the case in detail. “There appears to be discrimination and harassment of the petitioner...Therefore, the NCSC has desired that no further action in the matter be taken till the pendency of the case in the commission,” the commission said.
The panel has directed the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs to hand over original documents submitted by the Narcotics Control Bureau’s Special Enquiry Team within 15 days.
Wankhede said that he could not comment on the case as the commission was looking into it, but added that he had full faith in the panel and the Union government, The Print reported.
“Since Babasaheb Ambedkar was humiliated, and a Dalit family was continuously exploited and humiliated for a year, this made me approach the honourable NCSC,” he said.
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