Malayalam directors arrested for possessing hybrid ganja, suspended from filmmakers’ body

Three persons, including noted Malayalam directors Khalid Rahman and Ashraf Hamsa, were arrested with hybrid ganja from a flat here in on Sunday, Excise officials said.

Around 1.63 grams of hybrid ganja was seized from them, and the three were released on station bail later, they said.

In the wake of the development, the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) Directors’ Union suspended both filmmakers from the body. In a statement issued here, the union president Renji Panickar and general secretary GS Vijayan said further steps would be initiated after examining the progress of the ongoing investigation.

According to Excise Department sources, a special squad raided the flat at around 2 am as they received a tip-off that drugs were being used in a flat rented by cinematographer Sameer Thahir. The third person arrested along with Rahman and Hamsa was their friend Shalif Mohammed.

An Excise official saidk, “1.63 grams of hybrid ganja was seized from them, and a case was registered against them under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. They were released on bail later.”

A detailed probe was launched to find out the source of the drugs they possessed, officials added.

Excise Deputy Commissioner (Ernakulam) TM Maju said Thahir would also be summoned for interrogation soon in connection with the incident. “If he gave a space for these filmmakers for consuming drugs in his flat, we have to question him also,” he told reporters.

He said the Excise Department has complete support from the government and the minister concerned in these anti-drug operations.

The incident happened days after actor Shine Tom Chacko was arrested in a drug case after escaping from a hotel during a raid.

Meanwhile, opposition leader VD Satheesan wanted organisations like FEFKA and AMMA to take a decision not to cooperate with anyone in the film industry who consumes or distributes drugs.

Drug consumption is prevalent in all sectors, and there have already been allegations in connection with the film industry, the LoP told reporters. Celebrities, who influence young people as role models, should not be drug consumers, he opined.

Stressing the need for more stringent action against drug consumption, he said raids should be conducted wherever the usage of narcotics is reported.

“The problem is that the government is not paying much attention to the enforcement. There is no point in catching those who consume drugs and release them on bail later,” he said adding that the need of the hour is to find those who supply the contraband substance.