Aryan Khan case: Shatrughan Sinha calls NCB’s clean chit too little, too late: ‘I can understand Shah Rukh Khan’s pain’

Actor Shatrughan Sinha, who had previously supported Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, when he was implicated in a drug case, has now said he feels vindicated after Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) gave Aryan a clean chit. Aryan was arrested by the NCB following a raid on the Goa-bound Cordelia cruise ship in October 2021. Also Read| Ram Gopal Varma, Pooja Bhatt react to Aryan Khan getting clean chit from NCB: ‘Subjecting innocent people to harassment’

NCB dropped Aryan’s name from the list of accused on Friday, but Shatrughan Sinha said that it was ‘too little and too late’. He also reiterated that Aryan was targeted only because he was actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son.

Shatrughan told Bombay Times in an interview, “My stand seems to have vindicated now. I did support not only Aryan, but also Shah Rukh Khan. He was paying a price for being ― Shah Rukh Khan. This action or reaction of the government is certainly highly appreciated. But then, at the same time, I would like to say that it seems to be too little and too late. All the people involved in framing an innocent boy and sending him behind the bars for no rhyme or reason, without any evidence and without any proper investigation must be taken to task with a deterrent punishment. So that in future they might have to think one thousand times before taking such a step.”

The veteran actor and politician added that he feels NCB officers have brought a bad name to the institution. He said, “They have victimised Aryan just because he is the son of the most popular actor of India ― Shah Rukh Khan. This seems to be politics of vendetta. This is not acceptable, especially by a high profile institution like NCB. I can understand the pain, anguish and the helplessness that Shah Rukh Khan must have gone through.”

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma had also commented along similar lines after Aryan Khan was given a clean chit in the matter. He tweeted, “The only good thing which came about in #AryanKhan case is him being a celebrity @iamsrk’s son. It helped in vastly exposing the inefficiency and recklessness of various agencies subjecting innocent people to harassment which otherwise the common people can’t and won’t know of.”

Actor Pooja Bhatt also supported Aryan and Shah Rukh, questioning the ex-Zonal officer Sameer Wankhede, who arrested Aryan. Actor Shruti Seth wrote, “Who is taking responsibility for scarring a young boy with gross inefficiency?”