Sanjay Dutt keeps his fingers crossed

Mumbai: Sanjay Dutt was in Mauritius shooting for Khalnayak when 13 blasts in Mumbai on March 12, 1993 killed 250 people. The event became infamous as Black Friday and Sanjay, who was accused of involvement in the blasts, was labeled khalnayak, the villain.

Thirteen years later, a Mumbai court would on Thursday deliver a judgment in the case. Just as his career was on the upswing, Sanjay was arrested on the charge of possessing an AK-47 rifle that had come in the consignment meant for the serial bomb blasts.

He spent more than 18 months in jail while his personal and professional life went into a great turmoil. Khalnayak became a great hit, but Sanjay couldn’t shake off the slur of helping terrorists.

Soon after his named propped up in the probe, the actor reportedly telephoned the then Mumbai police chief, Amarjeet Samra and claimed that he had no role in the blasts. Samra asked Sanjay to appear before police in that case and clarify his stand.

Sanjay arrived from Mauritius, was picked up by the police at the Sahar airport and taken to Mumbai crime branch office where he was grilled for over six hours by the then DCP, Rakesh Maria. Dutt broke down after he was shown the statements of Sameer Hingora and Hanif Kadawala narrating his alleged role in accepting the weapons, sources said.

It is alleged that blasts accused Hingora, gangsters Abu Salem and Baba Chavan gave the rifle and hand grenades to Sanjay from the consignment that was meant for the subsequent serial blasts.

Sanjay was arrested on April 19, 1993 and for him the worse began. For the next 18 months, he spent life as an ordinary undertrial, sleeping on the rough jail bed sheets and spending time with inmates that included petty criminals.

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From jail, Sanjay wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of Supreme Court, which was taken up as a writ by the apex court and bail was granted on the condition that he would attend the TADA court proceedings every day.

The Shiv Sena, which was highly critical of the Dutt family after Sanjay's arrest, mellowed down after the actor’s father and MP Sunil Dutt intervened.

No wonder, on the day Sanjay was released on bail, he first visited the Siddhivinayak temple and then the Sena chief.

The CBI alleged that Abu Salem and his men went to Dutt's house on January 16, 1993 and gave him three AK-56 rifles, 25 hand grenades, one 9 mm pistol and cartridges.

Sanjay, a couple of days later, returned them two AK-56 rifles, hand grenades and cartridges to accused Hanif Kadawala and Samir Hingora keeping one AK-56 rifle with himself.

After the blasts, Sanjay, who was shooting abroad, called up his friends and allegedly sought their help in destroying the weapon.

On Dutt's instructions, Yusuf Nullawalla, Kersi Adjenia, Rusi Mulla and Ajay Marwah destroyed the weapon. The rifle and cartridges formed part of the consignment smuggled into India at Dighi port on January 9, 1993, the CBI alleged.

The accused confessed to have destroyed the weapon in a foundry. CBI procured a spring and a rod purported to be the remains of the AK-56 rifle. However, Sanjay denied the charge of possessing weapon and destroying it saying his confession was taken under duress and he was shown the "sach bol" patta in jail (with which policemen apparently hammered accused). He retracted his confession much later and his friends followed suit.

Initially he took the plea that he did possess the weapon and this was to protect his family as communal riots had broke out in 1992-93 and his father was a social worker. Later, he changed his stand and denied possession of the weapon.