Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt has been released from prison after serving four years for possessing weapons supplied by the men behind Mumbai's deadly bomb blasts in 1993.
The disgraced star touched the ground with his hand and saluted at the prison as he walked free in the western city of Pune.
Speaking to a huge crowd of gathered media outside his home in Mumbai, the smiling 56-year-old later said his new-found freedom had still not sunk in.
"For 23 years I waited to taste freedom. Finally the day has arrived today that I walked out of the jail as a free man," he said.
"It is still not sinking in... To be fully free is the most amazing feeling."
Dutt was originally sentenced to a six-year term after being convicted in 2006 of possessing an automatic rifle and pistol supplied by mafia bosses who orchestrated the series of bombings in Mumbai that killed 257 people.
He insisted the two guns were only meant to protect his family in the tense atmosphere in Mumbai following the mosque's destruction.
He spent 18 months in prison before being released on bail in 2007, pending an appeal.
In March 2013, the Supreme Court upheld his conviction but cut his prison term from six years to five, and the star was sent back to jail to serve the remaining three-and-a half years of his sentence.
Fans, friends and family flocked to his house in Mumbai to celebrate, banging drums in the street and throwing garlands around his neck.
Activists have fiercely opposed Dutt's release eight months ahead of schedule, claiming he was being given special treatment because of his celebrity status.
Dutt was granted several months of freedom at different times during his jail spell including to work on unfinished Bollywood movies whose multi-million dollar productions were at risk.
As he left Pune airport for Mumbai Dutt thanks his fans for their support.
"I am out here because of their (fans') support. There is no easy walk to freedom, my friends," he said.
The actor shot to fame in the mid-1980s in a string of action movies in which he performed his own stunts, earning him the nickname "Deadly Dutt".
In 2007, he was acquitted of more serious charges of conspiracy in the deadly blasts, which also wounded more than 700 people.
0 nhận xét:
Đăng nhận xét