BOMBAY, 3 August — Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj has warned the entire Bollywood, including producers, directors and financiers, to sever links with the underworld or risk harsh punishment. The film industry must cut itself off from the underworld. Any links of the industry with the underworld will draw fire from the government, and very drastic action will be taken against those found honobbing with the Mafia, the minister warned.
Sushma issued the warning after the recent publication of a transcript of talks between film star Sanjay Dutt, director Mahesh Manjrekar and producers Sanjay Gupta and Harish Sugadh with underworld don Chota Shakil. The minister's tongue-in-cheek message was clear: Either fall in line or be prepared to be put behind bar under the Prevention of Organized Terrorism Act (POTA) or MCOCA laws, said informed sources in her ministry.
The sources also said that the warning was a game plan of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to embarass the Congress party, its President Sonia Gandhi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh as the father of Sanjay is a Congress MP from Bombay.
The Bombay Police has kept a survelliance and prepared a dossier on all the film personalities that had gone to the Le Meridien hotel to wish Sanjay on his birthday on July 29.
The dossier will help the police to keep a close vigil and book the filmfolks who do not toe the line, said police source. It is also learned that the police have been keeping a tab on calls made via land and cell phones to the underworld. Panicked and sensing trouble, several film industry people,are now desisting from seeking police security, and also avoiding comment on the conversation between Dutt and Shakeel.
