Sanjay Dutt offered prayers at Vaishnodevi cave shrine near Jammu but the government car and a police escort provided to the Mumbai blasts case convict has sparked a controversy.
JAMMU: Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt on Monday offered prayers at the famed Vaishnodevi cave shrine near Jammu but the government car and a police escort provided to the Mumbai blasts case convict has sparked a controversy.
The 48-year-old star, who will be interim bail at least till September 27, paid obeisance at the shrine nestled in Trikuta hills for about half-an-hour. Accompanied by his girlfriend Manyata and two friends, Dutt also performed special 'aarti' and donated money.
"Dutt visited the shrine like all other devotees and no special arrangements were made for him," Additional Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine board Puneet Kumar said from Katra.
Clad in a white kurta and jeans, Dutt refused to comment on the controversy over the VIP security provided to him but the state police justified it as part of a security drill for important personalities.
"I have no idea about it," Dutt said at the airport after returning from the shrine and did not want to be drawn into the row. He did not respond to any other questions and only said 'Jai mata di' as he left for Mumbai
Although no special arrangements were made for him during the 'darshan', the CRPF and Police provided fool-proof security through the yatra and return to Jammu.
The actor was provided with an official car and police escort for the pilgrimage as the state government apprehended he could be an 'easy target' for militants in the militancy prone region of the border state.
Police however saw nothing wrong saying they cannot compromise on security of any VIP.
"We cannot compromise with the security of any VIP. We have been providing police vehicles, secured accommodations and police escort to political leaders or even commoners if there is a security threat, How can we compromise on Dutt's security," a police spokesman said.
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