Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma today questioned whether the Telugu film industry is being targeted in the drug racket probe which was busted earlier this month, and appealed the officials to be sensitive.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Telangana Excise Department summoned 12 Tollywood personalities last week after busting a high-end drug racket operating in Hyderabad.
In a Facebook post, Varma asked why there was so much brouhaha over the issue.
"It looks like drugs were never there before the alleged film industry's involvement....Is there a deep-rooted conspiracy to target only the film industry?" the post read.
"How will the enquiry team members feel if they and their family members are humiliatingly paraded without any basis....I appeal to the humaneness of Mr Sabarwal (excise enforcement director) and his team to be more sensitive...," Varma said.
However, Prohibition and Excise Commissioner R V Chandravadan dismissed slammed the filmmamker for his remarks.
"The excise department has investigated this kind of drug case in the past too. We are doing our duty as per the law. This is not targeted (at the film industry)," the officer said.
"As responsible citizens, people who are at the helm of the industry have cooperated with the SIT. At this juncture it is not appropriate to pass irrelevant comments," Chandravadan said.
"It is not right to hurt the credibility and morale of the Department," he added.
Actor Tarun today appeared before the SIT and was questioned at length. Earlier, director Puri Jagannadh, cinematographer Shyam K Naidu and actor Subba Raju were questioned in the case.
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