Mittal forgot that it was the NCB which made both the busts and, therefore, deserved a double pat on the back instead of a double ‘tap-tap’ in the head! Also, is the goal a drug-free India or “is it okay” so long as drugs don’t leave the below decks of a cruise ship? Of course, nobody is saying drugs should be the ‘done’ thing. Only Mittal and Swati Chaturvedi, another top Delhi journalist, find it odd that the NCB took along a BJP functionary for the Aryan Khan bust.

That stinks to high heaven. This BJP fellow is an “independent eyewitness” along with a “private dick” – a bald-headed selfie-addict whose mobile is full of selfies with Aryan Khan. If Aryan Khan sues him for intimidation and trespass nobody should complain. Aryan Khan was being dragged from NCB office to court and back by this shaven-headed abomination.

Nationalist Congress Party leader Nawab Malik is livid at the treatment meted out to the “Bollywood brat”. No offence meant, children of army personnel are often called “army brats”. That said, one thing which emerged from Aryan Khan’s self-scripted travails is that the 23-year-old is “only a kid”, “innocent”, too. Presented before a Mumbai court, Aryan told the judge SRK is so busy, the son has to get an appointment from the father’s secretary to have a word with the King of Bollywood!

Now, we understand Aryan’s plight and why he fell into “bad company”. If Shahrukh Khan is so lonely at the top, Aryan Khan must also be a victim of circumstances. When Aryan Khan was hauled out of the cruise he couldn’t get through to ‘Papa’. One, because SRK’s secretary stood in the pipeline. Two, because his smartphone was immediately confiscated by the heartless NCB.

Now, it emerges that the NCB was tipped off. So 22 NCB sleuths got on board the cruise ship. The unsuspecting Aryan Khan didn’t know what was coming. The tip-off came from a Bollywood actor’s brother-in-law who’s himself in NCCBB waters. Aryan Khan and his seven friends were frog-marched from the cruise ship to NCB office, the BJP functionary and the private dick doing the heavy pulling!

The question is who allowed the BJP functionary and the private dick in on the bust? NCP leader Nawab Malik says it’s proof of BJP involvement. “Aryan is innocent. The real targets were Shahrukh Khan and Bollywood,” insists the Nawab, who happens to be the same clairvoyant who had predicted that Arnab Goswami was doomed to commit suicide. Malik now says Aryan Khan is a “child” and should be treated like one.

The Narcotics Control Bureau is unfazed by Nawab’s accusations. However, Bollywood and Maharashtra’s MVA government are convinced the BJP is behind “the targeting of King Khan” through his son Aryan Khan. Journalist Mittal says it’s got to do with the “UP elections” and “Hindu-Muslim” is at the core. Journalist Chaturvedi is livid that the NCB allowed itself to be infiltrated.

Social Media is angrier. For a day and a half #IStandWithAryanKhan trended with #IStandWithSRK. Surprisingly, there were more users rooting for NCB station head Sameer Wankhede than for “King Khan”. The majority of those who posted wanted a “drugfree India”. Sameer Wankhede is busting “nashedis” and Bollywood cannot be allowed to transform to “Bollyweed!”

But blind fan-following is immune to reason and rationale. For most Bollywood celebs Sameer Wankhede is in the habit of targeting Bollywood. Wankhede’s wife, a Marathi actor, supports her husband’s single-minded approach to narcotics. Incidentally, Wankhede has a nationwide following; and growing! October 7, Aryan Khan was to be in court again, for the third time.

Will he get bail? The road is uphill. Aryan Khan’s smartphone is full of pictures and info that gives the NCB and the opposition in Maharashtra enough masala to spice up the proceedings. But if Aryan Khan manages bail it will be one more achievement to be noted in celeb lawyer Satish Manshinde’s docket. But that still won't answer the question: "What was the BJP doing with the NCB in the Aryan Khan drug bust?" (IPA Service)