BJP's Manish Bhanushali, a witness in drugs on cruise ship case, has been summoned for questioning by Mumbai Police on Thursday. An NCB team busted an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship which was on its way to Goa at mid-sea on October 2.
Maharashtra Cabinet Minister and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik citing a video in which those detained from the Mumbai cruise were seen being taken to the NCB office, Mallik alleged that "the person taking him (Aryan Khan) to the office is a BJP leader Manish Bhanushali."
Denying any connection of the BJP with the arrests, Bhanushali said, "BJP has nothing to do with it (the arrests). I received information on October 1 that a drugs party was to be held. I was with NCB officers (at the ship) for updated information."Reiterating that he informed the agency out of a sense of responsibility for the country, he said, "I don't have any official position in BJP. I gave this information as being an active citizen of the country."
Malik had alleged that the NCB raid onboard a Mumbai cruise was "forgery", and that BJP had misused the central agency to frame Aryan Khan.
Eight persons including Aryan Khan, Arbaz Seth Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha, Vikrant Chhoker, Ismeet Singh, Nupur Sarika, Gomit Chopra and Mohak Jaswal were produced before Mumbai's Esplanade Court on Monday which remanded them to Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) custody till October 7.