Noted Bollywood director-producer Mahesh Bhatt today refused to comment on the reported links between his son Rahul and David Headley, a suspected terrorist nabbed by the FBI for allegedly plotting attacks in India, and said the onus is on the investigating agencies to give an answer on the issue.
"I think the onus is on the national security agencies to answer this pointed question (about Rahul). I feel as a responsible citizen, I should not indulge in a game of trivialising such a serious issue," Mahesh Bhatt said.
"It is an issue which is very serious. It concerns not only my security and the security of my family, but also the security of the nation. The agencies are there to answer these queries. It is not right for me to indulge in small talk about matters like these," he said.
His brother and Bollywood producer, Mukesh, said the intelligence agencies have given Rahul a "clean chit" because there is nothing beyond it.
"What I gather is whatever they have spoken, the intelligence people have given him a clean chit absolutely because there is nothing beyond it," he said.
Asked about reports that Rahul is being questioned by the FBI, Mukesh said, "No, I don't think so at all, he was not questioned. He, infact, went and told them whatever he knew. He just happened to bump into this character (Headley) in a gym — just like anybody can bump into anybody — and there is nothing beyond that at all."
E-mails sent by Headley, a US national, to his handlers from terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba had mentioned one 'Rahul', and the probe agencies have been investigating who that person was.
According to some media reports, Rahul was said to have come into contact with Headley at a gymnasium and, unsuspecting of the latter's alleged terror links, the filmmaker's son had helped him rent a flat near Breach Candy hospital.
Headley ran an immigration consultancy firm at Tardeo during his stay in Mumbai and, according to the reports, Rahul was claimed to have been unaware of the US national's links with LeT.
The reports said the security agencies have reportedly questioned Rahul a couple of times but found nothing incriminating about his dealings with Headley.
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