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Sanjay Dutt fell at Sunil Dutt’s feet after being accused in the 1993 Mumbai blast case: ‘Papa galti ho gayi…’
Former IPS officer Rakesh Maria remembers Sanjay Dutt and Sunil Dutt's interaction after Sanju Baba was taken in for questioning
In 1993, Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt was arrested for illegal possession of arms. It was after an investigation led by IPS officer Rakesh Maria, who worked on the 1993 Mumbai blast case. This was a difficult and highly controversial time for the actor as well as his family. In a recent interview, the former IPS officer shared how Sanju Baba’s name came up in the investigation. Hanif Kadawala, proprietor of a Bandra restaurant, and Sameer Hingora, then President of the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association, refused the allegations against them and tipped off Rakesh Maria about Sanjay’s alleged involvement.
Talking to Desi Studios, Rakesh Maria recently shared that they wanted to bring in Sanjay Dutt for questioning right away, but the actor was busy shooting in Mauritius. When he returned to India, Rakesh picked up Sanjay from the airport and took him to the Mumbai Crime Branch. Remembering the questioning, Rakesh shared, “Sanjay told me that he is innocent and he’s not involved in this. The pent-up emotions, stress of the last few days, suddenly got through me and he was sitting on the chair in front of me. I just walked up to him and he had long hair at that time. I just gave him a slap and he toppled a little back and I caught hold of his hair and pulled him up. I asked him, ‘If he would talk to me like a gentleman, or should I…?’ Then he asked to speak to me alone. Then he narrated the whole thing to me. He told me, ‘I made a mistake, please don’t tell my father.’ I told him, ‘How can I not tell your father? You have made a mistake. Be man enough’.”
Describing Sanjay’s reaction on facing his father Sunil Dutt that day, Rakesh shared, “Sanjay Dutt is brought into the room, he sees his father, he howls like a child and goes and falls down at Sunil Dutt’s feet and tells him ‘Papa galti ho gayi mere se (Dad, I made a mistake)’. I wouldn’t wish this thing to happen to any father. Sunil’s face went pale.”
After serving his sentence, Sanjay Dutt was released from jail in 2016. Sunil Dutt sadly passed away in 2005. On the work front, Sanju Baba is currently winning hearts with his performance in Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar.
