Sanjay Dutt not a terrorist, says Digvijaya Singh

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Sunday came out in strong support of actor Sanjay Dutt, sentenced under the Arms Act in the 1993 Mumbai terror blast case, saying he had committed the crime at a "young age".

"Sanjay Dutt is not a criminal, he is not a terrorist. Sanjay Dutt, at a young age, in the atmosphere of that time, thought that perhaps the way Sunil Dutt had been raising his voice against communalism and favoured the minorities, then perhaps he could be attacked," Singh, an All India Congress Committee general secretary, told reporters in New Delhi.

"So as an obvious reaction of a kid to do something, if he has committed a mistake then I feel that he has undergone the punishment for it," he said.

Singh's remarks come in the wake of support for Sanjay Dutt from a number of politicians and film personalities who want the actor to be pardoned.

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The Supreme Court had on Thursday sentenced the actor to five years in jail after upholding his conviction under Arms Act for illegally possessing prohibited weapons including an AK-56 rifle, which was part of the consignment of weapons and explosives brought to India for the 1993 coordinated serial blasts in Mumbai by Dawood Ibrahim and associates.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has opposed the demand for relief to Dutt, saying that the law should be the same for everyone.

Press Council of India Chairman Markandeya Katju had also demanded relief for Dutt.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha mouthpiece Panchjanya criticised the "hue and cry" about the jail sentence to Dutt and said he actually got away with a light punishment.

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