MUMBAI: Sanjay Dutt’s birthday in Pune’s Yerwada jail sure was a sombre, staid affair, with the actor even being unable to cut a birthday cake.

Dutt was unable to purchase a birthday cake for himself from the jail bakery, as the bakery was not functioning to its full capacity. Dutt, who turned 54 years old on 29 July, Monday, was neither given any special lunch or dinner for his birthday.

Provisions are there for jail inmates to buy birthday cakes from the prison bakery. But this time, as the canteen was functioning at scant capacity, and as the jail manual does not permit any special birthday menu.

A jail authority, Deputy Inspector General (state prisons) Rajendra Dhamne said, “There was no celebration of Dutt’s birthday in the jail as per the jail manual. Cakes are made at the bakery but the baking of cakes has been stopped for the past couple of weeks due to some problem.”

A senior jail officer added, “The bakery at Yerawada jail prepares biscuits, pastries, toast, khari and butter etc. These food items are sold to inmates and even to those living outside the jail premises. The prisoner who used to make cakes at the bakery has stopped baking cakes due to some problem. Dutt had a regular food meant for prisoners today.”

Meanwhile, Dutt’s fans congregated outside prison to celebrate the star’s birthday. A group of 10 fans brought birthday cake and cut it outside Yerwada jail, in Dutt’s honour. Chanting slogans like ‘Jai ho Sanjay Dutt’  and ‘‘Happy birthday Sanjay Dutt’, they celebrated his birthday in style.

A fan said on the occasion of Dutt’s birthday: “That the actor is inside the jail is immaterial. I am his fan and has watched all his movies. I celebrated his birthday with gusto.”