After 884 days in prison, Dutt walked out of jail to both cheers and jeers
It was at 8.39 am that the hour of freedom came for Sanjay Dutt, as he walked out of Yerawada Central Prison and into the drama raging outside. Around 100 policemen had been posted outside since 6 am to keep the mob of fans and detractors at bay.
Sanjay Dutt emerged from the iron gates at 8.30 am and turned around to salute the prison before he left with family and friends. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
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After serving 884 days in a case related to the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, the 56-year-old (convict number 16656) emerged from the iron gates in a blue shirt and jeans and a trademark tilak on his forehead. He was carrying a few belongings in a green holdall on the right, while in his left hand, he had a green file with all his paperwork and diary. A red Mata ki chunari was in his left pocket. As he stepped out, Dutt put his belongings down, touched the ground in respect and turned around to salute the prison gates, joined his hands in a pranam and bid adieu to his days as a convict.
A 30-foot barricade had been set up around the prison gates, and on the other side of it stood hundreds of people both cheering and jeering at the prospect of the actor making his way out. Many fans had been there since daybreak, waiting to catch a glimpse of him, while a group from the Karjadar-Zamindar Hak Bachao Samiti was also there, protesting his early release.
Dutt made a beeline for his family members and was welcomed by his wife, Maanayata, who had arrived in Pune at 2 am and had been waiting outside the prison since 7 am, chanting god’s name. Dutt also met his film industry friends like filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani (who made the Munnabhai films with him), scriptwriter Abhijat Joshi (Lage Raho Munna Bhai) and his lawyer friend, Pradip Rai, among many others.
His fans immediately began to call out to him, and he turned to greet them as well, but was speechless.
Karan Kumar Jaswani (29), a resident of Undri, said, “I am huge fan of Sanjay Dutt and am happy we will see him onscreen soon. I have been waiting to see him since 5 am. I pray to see him in the pink of health; today I am going to distribute cake for free in my shop.”
Minutes later, Dutt was whisked away to the airport. “The family had organised a chartered plane which had been kept waiting at Pune International Airport since 8.30 am. As per the schedule, he had to board the plane by 10 am. However, the flight was delayed by an hour because the Air Force was conducting Sukhoi drills and there was a signal issue,” said a senior police officer.
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