Arshad, Tusshar smoke in college campus, NGO complains

PANAJI - Tobacco watchdog National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) has filed a police complaint against Bollywood actors Arshad Warsi and Tusshar Kapoor for smoking in a college campus in Goa.

In his complaint to the district Superintendent of Police Allen D’Sa and officials of the state tobacco control cell, NOTE general secretary Shekhar Salkar said the actors, who are shooting at the Chowgule College campus in Margao, about 35 km from here, were caught smoking in campus Tuesday.

“Arshad Warsi was even signing autographs for children with a cigarette dangling from his fingers. Such behaviour and violation of the no smoking norm is unacceptable. The college authorities should also be fined for letting them smoke in campus,” Salkar said.

The NOTE official has also submitted four photographs showing Warsi and Kapoor smoking in the college campus to the enforcement authority.

“Chief Secretary Sanjiv Srivastava in the last state tobacco control cell meeting had specifically asked the police to implement the anti-smoking law ruthlessly within school and college campuses and about 100 yard around the educational institutions. They should implement the laws properly,” said Salkar, whose organisation has in the past dragged Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to court.

State Tobacco control cell official said the actors would be soon fined for their misdemeanour.

–Indo Asian News Service