Sameer Wankhede removed from Aryan Khan drugs case probe; Politics peaks over fuel price cut; more

Six cases being investigated by NCB officer Sameer Wankhede, including the Aryan Khan drugs case, have been transferred out of the agency's Mumbai unit amid allegations of extortion and an 8 crore payoff in the case involving Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan's son.

The Aryan Khan case, as well as another involving Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik's son-in-law, will be handled by a special investigation team led by senior police officer Sanjay Singh, a 1996 batch officer from the Odisha cadre.

The Centre cut the excise duty on petrol by Rs 5 and diesel by Rs 10 on Wednesday. Many BJP and NDA-ruled states followed suit, announcing additional reductions in fuel Value Added Tax (VAT). However, opposition-ruled states did not back down, putting the onus on the Centre.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party slammed opposition parties on Friday for failing to reduce VAT and accusing them of engaging in "petty politics" over high fuel prices.