Actor Darshan's VIP treatment controversy: FIR filed against top prison officials for alleged injustice – Karnataka News

The Karnataka government has issued summons to Director General of Prisons Malini Krishnamurthy after an alleged video surfaced earlier this month showing Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa receiving VIP treatment in prison.

The notice was issued after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah directed Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh to initiate disciplinary action against the DGP. The DGP was asked to explain the mistake.

Darshan was arrested in June in connection with the murder case of 33-year-old auto driver Renukaswamy. Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor, was kidnapped and murdered by a gang on Darshan's orders after he allegedly sent abusive messages on social media to actor Pavithra Gowda.

Last week, pictures of Darshan hanging out with three others, including a gangster, on the lawn of Parappana Agrahara prison went viral. The actor was seen sitting on a chair holding a cigarette and a coffee cup.

Another alleged video of Darshan talking to someone through video call from prison also went viral on social media, following which three teams were formed to investigate the incidents.

Meanwhile, the DGP (Prisons) has directed the jail superintendent to send notices to all mobile operators seeking an explanation as to how the actor was able to make a video call despite the presence of three jammers in the prison premises.

Letters have been sent to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and phone operators such as Airtel, BSNL, Vodafone-Idea and Jio seeking a detailed explanation. The Chief Superintendent has been directed to submit a report on the matter by September 4.