Public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam has revisited the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case, revealing that actor Sanjay Dutt, though not directly involved in the conspiracy, could have helped avert the tragedy. Speaking in a recent interview, Nikam shared that Sanjay’s obsession with weapons led him to possess an AK-56 rifle supplied by underworld figure Abu Salem — a decision that later landed the actor behind bars.
‘Sanjay Dutt didn’t know about the blasts’
In a chat with Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube channel, Ujjwal Nikam said that while Sanjay was not aware of the blasts, he was guilty of illegally keeping a weapon. “Personally, I believe that he was crazy about weapons. And that’s why he had one AK-56 rifle. But before the blasts, Abu Salem brought one tempo full of weapons and Sanjay saw it and kept one rifle for himself and returned the rest,” he explained.The prosecutor recalled that Sanjay was imprisoned under the Arms Act for seven years. “He didn’t know that the blast was going to happen but he should have informed the police when he saw the weapons,” Nikam said.
‘He could have stopped the attacks’
When asked about his earlier claim that Sanjay could have prevented the 1993 serial blasts, Nikam said, “If he had informed the police about the tempo full of weapons, the police would have followed it up. They would have apprehended the accused. That’s why I said it. Even if he didn’t know about the blasts, just informing about the weapons could have prevented the tragedy.”Nikam also clarified that he faced no external pressure during the trial, despite Sanjay being one of Bollywood’s biggest stars. “There was no pressure on me. When the court punished him under the Arms Act, his lawyer said it was his first offence. I opposed it because Sanjay had earlier bought a 9mm pistol from Dawood Ibrahim’s right-hand man. So, he couldn’t get that benefit,” he stated.
Bal Thackeray’s intervention and Bollywood’s campaign
Recalling political involvement in the case, Nikam said that late actor-politician Sunil Dutt had sought Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray’s help. “Thackeray met me too and said, ‘He is innocent, let him go.’ He was a kind-hearted man who believed everyone who came to him,” Nikam remembered.The prosecutor also revealed how Bollywood rallied behind Sanjay after his conviction. “After the court declared him guilty, Bollywood started a campaign — ‘Baba, you are not guilty, we are with you.’ I told the press, ‘I will prosecute, you are trying to pressurise the judiciary.’ Bollywood thanda pad gaya (Bollywood went quiet after that),” he said.Sanjay Dutt was acquitted of charges related to the 1993 blasts in 2007 but was sentenced to six years in prison for illegal possession of arms. He completed his sentence in 2016.
