Prosecutor says Dutt was crazy about weapons, revisits 1993 blasts
What's the story
Ujjwal Nikam, the public prosecutor in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case, has recently made some explosive revelations about actor Sanjay Dutt. In a recent interview with journalist Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube channel, Nikam said that he believes Dutt was "crazy about weapons." This statement has once again brought the actor's controversial history into the limelight.
Details
Dutt apparently met Abu Salem and obtained an illegal weapon
Nikam further accused Dutt of meeting gangster Abu Salem and obtaining an illegal weapon. He said, "Personally, I believe that he was crazy about weapons. And that's why he had one AK-56 rifle." "But before the blasts, Abu Salem brought one tempo full of weapons, and Sanjay saw it, and he kept one rifle for himself and returned the rest."
Possible prevention
'If he had informed police, it could have prevented attacks'
Nikam said, "When they came to (Dutt) with a tempo full of weapons... If he had informed the police about it, then the police would have followed it up." "Sanjay didn't know that the blast was going to happen but even if he had informed that these many weapons came in... then the police would have investigated and stopped the blasts."
First offense
Nikam said he faced no pressure in the case
Nikam clarified that he did not face any pressure despite Dutt being a public figure. He said, "When the court punished him under Arms Act, his lawyer said that it is his first offense and he should be given some benefit for that." "I opposed that. Because before this, Sanjay had purchased one 9mm pistol from Dawood Ibrahim's right-hand man."
Intervention
Late Sunil Dutt sought Bal Thackery's intervention in son's case
Nikam also revealed that late actor-politician Sunil Dutt had sought intervention from Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray in his son's case. He said, "He met me as well. He said he is innocent, let him go." "He was a very simple, kind-hearted man. If anyone went up to him that I have faced injustice, he would listen to them."
Legal saga
Dutt was sentenced to 6 years' imprisonment
Dutt was acquitted of all charges related to the bomb blasts in 2007 but was sentenced to six years in prison for illegal possession of weapons. He completed his sentence in 2016. The case, which lasted over a decade, drew intense public and media scrutiny, becoming one of the most sensational legal battles in Indian entertainment history.