Drug scandal: Most of Tollywood backs 'Operation Clean-Up'

Hyderabad: Does the clean-up of the Telugu film industry, which is mired in the drug scandal, affect the image of Telangana State, especially Hyderabad, as is being claimed in some quarters? Does this amount to targeting the Telugu film industry?

A majority of film industry people do not buy this argument and have come out openly in support of the clean-up drive undertaken by the state government which has given full powers to the excise and police departments to investigate the drugs case. 

Writer, director and actor, Posani Krishna Murali, said, “Some people are alleging that SIT (the Special Investigating Team probing the drug racket) has been deliberately targeting Tollywood.” 

This is totally rubbish. They have only called 10 to 12 film personalities for inquiry after their phone numbers were found in the call list of those who were arrested in the drugs case, he added.

Excise officials are just questioning them to clear their doubts and letting them go. They are not making any arrests, Posani said.

Some film personalities argue that the SIT investigation is giving the im-pression that Hyderabad tops in drugs consumption in the country. 

They cite National Crime Records Bureau data, where Hyderabad stands much below Mumbai, Delhi, Kanpur, Amritsar, Kota etc in the crime table. 

They are also those who say that notices were served on school/college students and owners of educational institutions and pubs/bars, but this did not cause much of a stir, while prominent film personalities attract more attention. All this gives the impression that only film personalities are being targeted in drug probe.