This refers to the article, “Strange are the ways of our secularists” (March 25) by Balbir Punj. What strikes me as odd is the explanation Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt offered for possessing the AK-56 rifle — that he and his family were threatened during the riots.
Granted that he had genuine grievance, but who exactly threatened himIJ The Hindus or the MuslimsIJ But why would the Hindus threaten himIJ After all, Dutt sported the saffron tilak in his most famous photograph while being taken to jail, and also considers himself a Hindu. If certain members of the minority community threatened him, then how come he procured the gun from a Muslim, Abu SalemIJ And, what exactly did his family do to receive threats from either of the two groupsIJ
It is obvious that the actor, having been caught in an inextricable situation, resorted to spurious explanations to escape punishment under the severe Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act.