Drug scandal and Bengaluru riots linked? Viren Khanna's father thinks so

 

Retired professor Sri Ram Khanna, father of Viren Khanna gave a long, weary sigh as he picked up the phone. He has been busy running from the lawyer’s office to Karnataka CM’s office. Other times, he is at the Bengaluru prison, trying to have a word with his son, all the while vowing to get him out. Viren was arrested in the drug scandal involving Sandalwood actors including Ragini Dwivedi. “Viren is innocent,” said Sri Ram Khanna, choking up with emotion.

 Viren Khanna was arrested in Delhi in the beginning of September and brought to Bengaluru soon after. He was accused of fleeing when the central crime branch began investigating this case. “He had earlier booked a train ticket to Delhi. Why would he book a ticket to flee?” questioned Sri Ram Khanna, as he got lost in thought, perhaps remembering Viren’s childhood in Delhi.

The retired professor stressed on the fact that his son was a law-abiding citizen, who even helped the police many times lending information about rave parties and more. The father wondered how a police informant of sorts could suddenly land in unanticipated clutches of the narcotic tale.

Viren Khanna stepped into Bengaluru as a student of RV College of Engineering, least realising he would end up in the dark shadows of the Parapanna Agrahara prison. After graduating in 2007, he worked at Accenture as a software engineer, only to quit and turn into a party planner in 2008. “I attended the first party he organised during New Year’s Eve at the Ice Bar in Taj Hotel. Every person I spoke to – from the waiter to the guests – appreciated Viren stating that he was tailor-made for this,” said the father, beaming with pride.

“He would organise two or three parties every week and there has not been even a single incident of drug use or abuse. How did he get entangled in this now? Stories seem to be surfacing with no checks in place. Truth is the only casualty,” he added.

Sri Ram Khanna flew to Bengaluru when Viren’s house was searched on September 8. The cops reportedly found a police uniform neatly stacked in one of the rooms. Reports suggested that he attempted impersonating a police officer. Dismissing the allegations, the father said the uniform was a “dummy costume” mainly used for Halloween parties and events with fancy dress themes.

The last party organised by Viren Khanna was the one he planned for Holi in March. The COVID pandemic brought a lull to his business, according to his father. Viren, however, hosted ‘drive-in theatre’ programmes before heading to Delhi, Sri Ram Khanna said.

Calling Viren Khanna a victim of police harassment, Sri Ram Khanna said that well-known people are unnecessarily targeted, while actual drug peddlers, who aren’t well-known, are still out. “Actors won’t run away, peddlers will,” he said, adding that cops unearthed this scandal post the recent Bengaluru riots in DJ Halli.

“Around 300 people were detained post the recent Bengaluru riots. Some of them were drug peddlers, who gave the name of one Ravi Shankar. When Ravi Shankar was questioned, Viren’s name cropped up. I asked my son later about this when he was in custody. Viren said he never knew who Ravi Shankar was until he met him while in custody. Viren told me that Ravi Shankar was tortured by the police to deliberately mention Viren Khanna’s name,” claimed the anguished father, acutely hoping this piece of information could help get his son back in his arms.

Recent media reports claimed that Viren Khanna’s associates allegedly bribed two police officers to source information about the investigation. The investigating officer later said that the two cops have been suspended following this revelation. “Viren is a regular taxpayer. His company follows GST protocol. He doesn’t have money stashed in his accounts. Let the cops examine every bank account and every transaction and provide proof,” Sri Ram Khanna said, challenging the men in khaki.

Sri Ram Khanna and his wife have decided to stay put in Bengaluru to fight this legally. “We are focussing on his bail application now. We also want to meet the CM and narrate our side of the story. We haven’t been successful yet. But our fight will go on,” he said, as his warm smile belied a steely resolve.