NGO catches Ajay Devgn smoking in public

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PANAJI - A tobacco watchdog organisation Wednesday asked the health authorities to fine Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn for smoking in public while on the sets of his film “Golmaal 3″ in Goa.

In a complaint to the state tobacco control cell and the union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) general secretary Shekhar Salkar has said that Devgn, who was fined once for smoking in public in Chandigarh, deserved more stringent action as he was becoming a habitual offender of the ‘no smoking in public’ rule.

“This being the second violation by Ajay Devgn, we feel that the punishment given to such type of habitual law breakers is too meagre. In view of this, we strongly feel that the penalty under section 4 of the COPTA (Control of Tobacco Products Act) law for both one who violates the law and one who allows violating the law should be increased,” Salkar said.

Local newspaper flashed photographs of Devgn smoking on the sets of “Golmaal 3″ Tuesday with the film’s director Rohit Shetty standing an arm’s length away.

The general secretary of NOTE, which has in the past dragged Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to court for directly or indirectly promoting smoking, has also said that habitual violators of the COPTA law should be jailed.

“Fine for the first offence should be Rs.500, for the second it should be raised to Rs.5,000 and for the third offence an imprisonment for a period of 6 months, in addition to a fine of Rs.5,000 should be imposed,” Salkar said.

Devgn is the third Bollywood actor to be caught smoking in Goa this month.

Earlier this month, actors Tusshar Kapoor and Arshad Warsi were hauled up by NOTE for smoking during a film shoot in Margao, 35 km from here.