‘Test film stars for drugs like sportspersons’: MP minister

Sarang in a letter to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said dope tests started for sportspersons to curb the menace and there is also provision for a two-year jail sentence as well as life bans.

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Medical Education Minister Vishvas Sarang has written to the Centre demanding that film actors be subject to dope tests like is the case with sportspersons.

Sarang wrote to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar and expressed concern over news reports of “drug parties” involving film stars, adding such reports were also coming up in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case.

“Like sportspersons, a rule should be enacted for the dope test of film stars. Any kind of drug parties should be banned. The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) should conduct dope tests on film stars and people associated with the movie industry from time to time,” the minister said in his letter to Javadekar.

Those found guilty should be given two year-jail terms as well as a life ban on working in the film industry, Sarang said.

Sarang said the youth consider film stars as icons and tend to follow their lifestyle and “increasing prevalence of drugs among film stars” was having a “bad impact on the youth” who were getting “attracted to drugs by being influenced by them (film stars)”.

Sarang said dope tests started for sportspersons to curb the menace and there is also provision for a two-year jail sentence as well as life bans.