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| India-Pakistan |
| Prison Guard in trouble for hugging Sanjay Dutt |
| 2007-08-27 |
| A police prison guard in India has been suspended after he hugged Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt as he was being released from jail, officials say. Eight other constables who shook hands with Dutt as he emerged from jail near Mumbai on bail last week have also been told to explain themselves. Television channels showed the police guards smiling and greeting the star after his 22 days of incarceration. He was jailed for buying weapons from bombers who attacked Mumbai in 1993. Dutt was given temporary bail from the high security Yerwada prison - in the city of Pune, 160km (100 miles) south-east of Mumbai - by the Supreme Court last week. He is the most high-profile of 100 people convicted in connection with the blasts which killed 257 people. He was cleared of conspiracy, but found guilty of illegally possessing a rifle and a pistol. After the TV pictures emerged, the jail authorities announced the formation of a departmental inquiry. "This action amounts to violation of prison rules and decorum as they were seen being friendly with a convicted criminal," Rajendra Dhamne, the chief of the prison in Pune, told the Reuters news agency. Mr Dhamne said prison guards were expected to treat Dutt like any other convict. Dutt is now in Mumbai, where he lives with his family. The actor's release was ordered on the grounds that a copy of the judgement, passed by the special anti-terror court in Mumbai, was yet to reach the actor. But the court specified that the measure was a temporary one. The judge said that as soon as the actor received a copy of the Mumbai court order, he would have to return to jail. Only after that could the actor file an appeal for bail and the matter would be considered on merit, the judge added. Dutt's lawyers say that they will appeal against his sentence as soon as he receives the court order, which jail authorities say will be delivered to him around 27 September. |
| Posted by:john frum |
| #1 Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmukh on Monday revoked his deputy R R Patil's order suspending police constable Rajendra Kalekar for hugging Sanjay Dutt immediately after the actor's release from Pune's Yerawada jail on Thursday. Kalekar is likely to be reinstated soon. The CM was reportedly upset by the alacrity with which the home department acted to suspend Kalekar. "Deshmukh felt that it was very harsh action. From the footage shown on TV channels, it was clear that Dutt had taken the initiative to hug and shake hands with the policemen. The constables had no option but to extend a similar gesture," a senior official told TOI. Deshmukh asked home department officials to wind up the case at the earliest and ensure no extreme action was taken against the constables. "On several occasions, it has been found that no action is taken against high-ranking officials while constables become easy scapegoats," the official said. |
| Posted by: john frum 2007-08-27 17:14 |