My family is being trolled, threatened: IRS officer Sameer Wankhede, who arrested Shah Rukh Khan's son

New Delhi: Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede has filed a defamation suit in the Delhi High Court against the makers of the Netflix series `The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ for allegedly maligning his reputation and negatively portraying anti-drug enforcement agencies. The Delhi HC on Wednesday issued notices to Netflix, actor Shah Rukh Khan-owned Red Chillies Entertainment, and others.

NewsMeter spoke to Wankhede about the fresh controversy and growing drug menace in society. Excerpts:

NM: You approached the court against the Netflix series `The Ba***ds of Bollywood’. Many perceive the series as a satire. Your take on it?

Wankhede: I have worked in the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), which are premier agencies fighting against drugs. Drug is a scourge for the nation. Officers have bled during the fight against drugs. While I was in the NCB, my team members were assaulted, and they suffered head injuries. This is not satire, and it cannot be at the expense of my officers.

NM: You have said that your family is being trolled and threatened. How has it affected your family?

Wankhede: I am a government servant and an IRS officer. My family does not work for the agencies. They don’t have anything to do with my work. Why are they being trolled and threatened? The trolling is also done from abroad, and it is from the fan clubs of certain people. The trolls don’t have the manners to talk to women.

NM: Are you personally receiving threats?

Wankhede: I am personally receiving threats. I am getting threatening messages on DMs. I have been regularly informing the police. The trolls are threatening me. I am also fighting a case in the Bombay High Court. The matter is subjudice. These things are an attempt to interfere in the judicial process and change the narrative.

NM: Movies have been making fun of the police force for years now, though they haven’t targeted anyone personally. What’s your take on it?

Wankhede: They have done it many times personally. Someone had to take action. Enough is enough. What stress we all undergo, what our families go through, what kind of professional hazards we have, what threats our families face, they don’t know. Let them do satire on their own people.

NM: Drug abuse is a big threat, especially to youth. You are part of the Drug Free India campaign. Tell us something about it?

Wankhede: Youngsters contribution is big in nation-building. It is time to stop them from getting into drug abuse. If not now, when will we do it? This is a very crucial thing to do. The OTT platforms, movies, media, and social media have tremendous responsibility. They have to behave responsibly. They cannot promote e-cigarette smoking.

NM: How can society in general fight against the drug menace?

Wankhede: There is a helpline initiated by the Government of India. The `1933’ helpline is to empower citizens to fight against the drug menace and to enable anonymous reporting of drug trafficking, illicit cultivation, and related offences. People can call on this helpline immediately. They should not take any drug-related activity for granted. The `chalta hai’ attitude won’t work. This can hit you as well if we don’t take it seriously. People can be proactive and immediately inform the police. They can go to senior officers like the Deputy Commissioner of Police and above if they have any doubt about any local officer.