Sanjay Dutt recalls 1993 incident of storing weapons in his house, says father Sunil Dutt panicked when police handcuffed him: ‘The mistakes were mine’ |

Sanjay Dutt was arrested in 1993 for possessing illegal firearms, including an AK-56, and was sentenced to five years in prison under the Arms Act. In a recent interview with Shekhar Suman on ‘Shekhar Tonite’, the actor reflected on the decision that changed his life, admitting that he ignored his gut feeling and failed to understand the consequences of his actions.Looking back on this incident, Sanjay said he should have trusted his conscience instead of telling himself that keeping weapons for a week would not cause any problems.“The mistakes were mine, if your heart tells you something, you should listen to it, if your mind tells you something, don’t accept it too soon. Then when that incident happened and I saw what was involved, my heart said not to do it, but my mind said, ‘Keep it for a week.The actor admitted that he did not expect the difficulties of the legal consequences and emphasized that understanding the laws of the country in which one lives is important.“I had absolutely no idea what the consequences would be. I always say that everyone who lives in any country should know the laws of the country,” he said.During their conversation, Sanjay also looked back on an emotionally charged moment from the early days of the case, when the police handcuffed him in front of his father, veteran actor Sunil Dutt. Remembering his father’s actions, the actor said he was stunned and burst into tears when he asked the police how they treated his son.“When the police came and put handcuffs on me, my father was shocked, with tears in his eyes, he said, ‘What are you doing with my son?’ I hugged him tightly and told him, ‘Why do you let these handcuffs bother you? Don’t be like that. It’s just a process, please don’t feel bad.’ Although in reality, it was killing me inside. But I had to be strong for him,” he said.Although he was struggling with his emotions, Sanjay said he chose to put on a brave face to comfort his father and protect him from the pain he was feeling.“That’s how I went through this whole ordeal.” It continued for 24 years,” he added.Sanjay went on to say that during his imprisonment, he recalled that some officials expected him to suffer without the comforts and privileges that come with being a celebrity. However, he said he refused to let the circumstances dampen his spirits.“But nothing happened to me because I didn’t break down, they left scared and mocked me. One of them came to me and said, ‘You won’t find cigarettes here. Now what are you going to do?’ So my response was, ‘Sir, at least I can get a bidi here,’” he recalled.According to this actor, his ability to adapt to changed circumstances surprised those around him, who expected him to be greatly affected by his life in prison.“All these changes didn’t bother me, so they were upset about how strong and untouchable he was,” he added.The case against Sanjay Dutt emerged during the investigation into the bomb blasts that rocked Mumbai on March 12, 1993. Investigators linked the actor to the possession of illegal firearms, including an AK-56 rifle, a pistol and ammunition. He was arrested in April that year.In November 2006, a special court convicted Sanjay under the Arms Act for possession of prohibited weapons. However, the charges under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) were dropped and he was not convicted of participating in the bombings.In March 2013, the Supreme Court upheld his conviction but reduced his prison term from six years to five years. Sanjay then surrendered to serve the remaining term and was lodged in the Yerawada Central Jail in Pune. He was released in February 2016 after receiving a good behavior pardon.