7 prison staff suspended for giving preferential treatment to actor Darshan in prison

Bengaluru, Aug 26: The Karnataka Prison Department has suspended seven staff members, including two jail guards, for allowing Kannada actor Darshan to smoke a cigarette and drink coffee in jail.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Monday, Home Minister G Parameshwara made the announcement.

The photo of Darshan sitting on a chair in front of his barracks with a cigarette in one hand and a coffee cup in the other went viral on Sunday.

Also seen in the photo are Darshan's manager and two other prison inmates sitting next to him.

The development sparked controversy in the state and raised questions about the functioning and rampant corruption in the prison administration.

Home Minister Parameshwara said that after the incident, Director General of Prisons Malini Krishnamurthy immediately spoke to the officials concerned at Bengaluru Central Jail and an investigation was conducted till 1 am.

Following preliminary investigations, seven officials of Bengaluru Central Jail were suspended with immediate effect.

The prison superintendent will be transferred as soon as the report is available, he added.

If it turns out that high-ranking officials are involved in the incident, action will be taken against them without hesitation and without mercy, he said.

The Director General of Prisons arrived at Bengaluru Central Jail on Monday morning and investigations are ongoing, he said.

When asked whether Darshan would be shifted to another prison, HM Parameshwara said the department would consider this option.

“If necessary, we will also book another case,” he added.

Jail Wardens Sharana Basava Ameenagada, Prabhu S Khandelwal, Assistant Jail Wardens LS Tippe Swamy and Srikanth Talwar, Superintendent Venkatappa Murthy, Warden Basappa Teli and Superintendent Venkatappa Kattoli and Sampath Kumar Kadapatti have been suspended following preliminary investigation, HM Parameshwara said.

“This is a lapse and should not have happened. When the matter came to light, the officials concerned were suspended and action was taken. All the prisons are sensitised, there are jammers and CCTV cameras. Despite all this, the incident took place and swift action was taken to prevent such incidents in future,” said HM Parameshwara.

He added that no mercy would be shown to anyone involved in the incident and that an investigation would be carried out into who took the photo and how the person obtained a cellphone in prison.

The investigation will bring everything to light, said HM Parameshwara.

Two days ago, the police raided the central prison, but no mobile phones were confiscated.

“We will also investigate the case and check whether the cell phones were hidden or sent based on a tip-off. We are reviewing the prison's surveillance footage from the last three days,” he explained.

When asked whether the government was under any pressure in the Darshan case, His Majesty Parameshwara said that there was no pressure and no one could dare to approach him.

“We will correct and tighten the system. There is no question of giving in to any pressure,” he reiterated.

He clarified that there could be no question of the case being downplayed, that action had been taken in accordance with the law and that the department would continue to do so in the future.

“There is nothing to hide in this case, facts are facts. I will ensure that the incident does not happen again,” he said.

Darshan's photograph showing him having fun at Parappana Agrahara in Bengaluru went viral on social media on Sunday, raising questions about whether the prison authorities were giving him preferential treatment.

Darshan is the second accused in the kidnapping and murder case of his fan Renukaswamy.

The development has shocked the family of Renukaswamy, a fan who was brutally killed by Darshan, his partner Pavithra Gowda and 15 others.

The case is in the final stages of filing a chargesheet and the development is seen as a setback for Darshan, who had hoped to seek bail soon after the police file the chargesheet.

The gruesome murder of Renukaswamy took place on June 8 in Bengaluru. He was kidnapped from his hometown Chitradurga, brought to Bengaluru, kept in a shed and tortured to death.

After the murder, his body was thrown into a canal. The incident came to light when security personnel at a private residence saw the body being dragged behind him by a pack of dogs.

Renukaswamy leaves behind elderly parents, a pregnant wife and a sister.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor.

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