Sanjay Dutt undergoing preliminary treatment in Mumbai hospital: wife Maanayata
Mumbai: Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt is undergoing "preliminary treatment" at the city's Kokilaben hospital, his wife Maanayata Dutt said, amid reports that the actor was battling lung cancer.
Dutt was on Tuesday seen leaving for the hospital with sister Priya.
"Prarthana karo (pray)," the 61-year-old actor had told the paparazzi standing outside his home on Tuesday.
Maanayata said on Tuesday that plans to take Dutt abroad for medical treatment will be taken later depending on the coronavirus situation.
"Sanju will complete his preliminary treatment in Mumbai. We will formulate further plans of travel depending on how and when the covid situation eases. As of now, Sanju is in the best hands of our esteemed doctors at Kokilaben hospital," Maanayata had said in a statement.
Without specifying the nature of his disease, she had said their family was "shaken up" but "determined to fight tooth and nail".
Dutt was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital on August 8 after he complained of breathlessness. After his discharge on August 10, the actor had tweeted about taking a "short break" from work owing to medical treatment.
As rumours swirled around the actor's health condition, Maanayata had requested well-wishers to avoid speculating about the "stage of his illness".
"I request everyone, with folded hands, to stop speculating the stage of his illness and let the doctors continue to do their work. We will update you all regularly with his progress," she had said.
Maanayata said she couldn't be by her husband's side at the hospital as she was under home quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic. She had returned from Dubai earlier this month.
She said Dutt's sister, Priya, has been "an incredible torchbearer."
"Every battle has a torchbearer and someone who holds the fort. Priya who has worked extensively over two decades with our family-run cancer foundation, and who has also seen her mother battle this illness, has been our incredible torchbearer, while I will hold the fort," she had said.
In the long statement, Maanayata, 42, had expressed gratitude to fans and hoped they would continue to love and support the family during these trying times.
"Sanju has been through many ups and downs in his life, but what has kept him going through every tough phase has always been your adulation and support.
"And for this, we will always be grateful. We are now being tested through yet another challenge, and I know, the same love and warmth will see him through this time as well," she had said.
She further said Dutt was the "heart and soul" of the family and all of them are determined to fight this battle and emerge winners.
"Sanju is not only my husband and father to our children, but he has also been a father figure to Anju (Namrata) and Priya.
"While our family is shaken up, we are determined to fight tooth and nail. With God and your prayers on our side, together we will overcome, and emerge as winners," she had said.
Dutt is the eldest child of late Bollywood stars Nargis and Sunil Dutt. He has two sisters -- Priya Dutt and Namrata Dutt.
He has two children, a son and a daughter, with Maanayata. The actor also has a daughter Trishala Dutt from his first marriage to Richa Sharma. She died of brain tumour in 1996.
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Protests against Khamenei's killing: Curbs remain in force in Kashmir
Srinagar (PTI): Strict restrictions remained imposed in many areas of Kashmir for the third consecutive day on Wednesday following massive protests across the valley against the killing of Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, officials said.
As a precautionary measure, the government shut educational institutions till Saturday, while mobile internet speed continued to remain throttled.
"Restrictions on the movement and assembly of the people continued in many parts of Kashmir on Wednesday," the officials said.
They said strict restrictions were being enforced especially in the parts having large Shia population and those areas which have witnessed massive protests over the last three days.
A large number of police and paramilitary CRPF personnel were deployed across the city to prevent gatherings of protestors, the officials said.
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They added that concertina wires and barricades were placed at important intersections leading into the city, while asserting that these were precautionary measures imposed to maintain law and order.
The iconic Ghanta Ghar in the city centre of Lal Chowk here continued to remain a no-go zone after the authorities sealed area with barricades erected all around it on late Sunday night.
The move to seal the Ghanta Ghar came after it witnessed massive protests on Sunday after Khamenei's assassination in the joint air strikes by the US and Israel.
This is the first time since August 2019 that protests on such a large scale have taken place in Kashmir.
The government had first ordered the closure of schools, colleges and universities for two days. However, on Tuesday it decided to close the educational institutions till Saturday as a precautionary measure in view of the protests.
Mobile internet speeds continued to remain throttled while some prepaid mobile connections were also barred, the officials added.
On Tuesday, protests rocked several places in the valley, including Sumbal and Pattan areas of North Kashmir.
In Sumbal of Bandipora district, security forces had to resort to force to disperse the demonstrators.
Some media outlets and individuals, including National Conference Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, and former Srinagar mayor Junaid Azim Mattu, faced police heat for allegedly circulating misleading information.
A case was filed against Mehdi and Mattu under BNS sections 197(1)(d) and 353(1)(b) at Cyber Police Station, Srinagar, for allegedly circulating "false, fabricated and misleading content" on digital and social media platforms.
"The content in question, prima facie, reflects the dissemination of distorted narratives and unverified information capable of causing public unrest and societal disharmony. Such deliberate attempts to spread misinformation pose a serious threat to peace, security, and overall stability," the police said in a statement.
Both have been condemning the killing of Khameinei and the attacks by the US and Israel on Iran.
However, hours after the registration of the case, Mehdi, an influential Shia leader, said he would not be deterred from speaking the truth.
"The people of Srinagar did not elect their MP to recite government-approved condolences. They elected him to speak truth. That mandate does not expire with an FIR," he said in a post on X.
Police has issued an appeal to people to refrain from violence and provocation.
"We appeal to all sections of the society to exercise restraint and refrain from violence and provocation," it said.
Police said they will take strict legal action against instigators of violence and those involved in unlawful activities.
On Tuesday, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha directed officials to be on high alert and chaired a meeting of top officials of the police and army here.
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"Chaired a meeting of senior police & civil administration officials at the Police Control Room, Kashmir, to review the law and order situation. Directed the officers to remain on heightened alert and take all necessary measures to ensure public peace and tranquillity," Sinha said on X.
He appealed to the people and community leaders to maintain peace.
"I also appeal to the citizens and community leaders to uphold harmony and contribute to an atmosphere of calm and goodwill in society. Preserving peace and sustaining the progress of society is a shared responsibility that rests equally upon each one of us," he said.
