Bollywood actor Ajay Devgan seemed to have hidden behind a smokescreen Thursday. The Chandigarh police, despite repeated attempts, were unable to serve a penalty notice on the actor for allegedly breaching the no-smoking law in the city Monday.
He was reportedly spotted smoking at Chandigarh airport in the smoke-free city.
When the police officials went again to serve the prosecution notice at Taj hotel at 10.30 a.m. Thursday, they were made to wait for over an hour and then told that the actor had left for shooting.
On Wednesday night too, Devgan had kept Chandigarh police officials waiting for over two hours in the lobby of the Taj hotel. The police officials were made to wait for the star to cough up the Rs.200 fine imposed on him.
The actor did not appear before the police officials, and his manager told them to come Thursday at 10.30 a.m.
S.K. Jain, Inspector General of Chandigarh police, said, "We are not taking this issue lightly because of the high profile status of the accused. He has to pay the fine for his offence."
The fine was imposed after an NGO filed a complaint Tuesday accusing Ajay Devgan of allegedly smoking at a smoke-free public place.
Meanwhile, the same NGO Thursday filed a written complaint with Chandigarh police accusing Devgan of evading the process of law and not cooperating.
"There is a clear intent to obstruct a public servant from discharging his duty. Such an action of hindering the work of a police officer clearly amounts to an offence under Section 186 of the Indian Penal Code and in the interest of justice and law," pointed out Hemant Goswami, chairperson of Burning Brain society.
Chandigarh became the first smoke-free city of India July 15, 2007. Smoking here is banned at all public places.
Ajay Devgan was also fined Wednesday at Kurali in Mohali, around 35 km from here, for allegedly smoking at a railway station there.
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