Dr Hiren Gohain

It has been extremely disturbing that interrogation of Deepika Padukone has been punctuated by NCB's regular leaks to press of the personal humiliation she has undergone.The latest tidbit is that during her interrogation she broke into tears three times.

This is not only highly indecent but also quite unbecoming of the conduct of a national agency.The press conferences are not only undesirable but also designed to cater to the worst instincts of the gloating rabble.More,this is a glaring abuse of the right to privacy which not so long ago had been unanimously held by the Supreme Court as the bedrock of the citizen's dignity and liberty.

I have not watched any of her films,nor do I care much for such Bollywood stuff.But that is no reason why I should not express solidarity with a fellow-citizen harassed by the police or any law-enforcing authority.

The latest mean scoop by the media or rather the chatterati would suggest that the victim is guilty of some grave offence,though there is as yet no hard evidence of serious crime.All that has boiled down to is that Ms Padukone had smoked some marijuana at parties, though I heard in Delhi during the nineties that taking marijuana for kicks were a regular treat in some social events and was considered the mark of a 'liberatwd person'.

But it is unlikely that the great wheel of law-enforcement is  set to grinding a butterfly for naught.There must be a purpose.The imminent Bihar elections probably require such gruesome sacrifices to yield a definite result.

I have come across a piece of news in a current Assamese daily and it appears authentic.Sushant Singh Rajput's death by suicide has been allegedly used to spin out theories of murky crime against his life and reputation with a view to cornering  substantial Kshatriya vote in Bihar.It is incidentally a pity that nowadays the prestige of communities is to be redeemed typically  by acts of revenge.

What is more, if the source is to be believed, the same forces which are now baying for Ms Padukone's blood had also demanded Sushant Singh Rajput's head in 2018 for playing the role of a Muslim porter in love with a Hindu priest's daughter acted by Deepika Padukone!!

So all this furore points to a dubious and  slimy campaign against the dignity and reputation of a successful actress for reasons that should invite the wrath of the courts.