Seven police officers suspended for VIP treatment of actor in prison

Following widespread outrage over photographs showing murder accused Kannada superstar Darshan Thoogudeepa receiving VIP treatment in jail, seven police officials have been suspended. Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara told media persons on Monday, August 26, that preliminary investigations have shown that seven prison officials were giving special treatment to Darshan and have been suspended.

“This is a serious security breach,” the minister said, adding, “Yesterday, I was informed from Parappana Agrahara jail that Darshan and other inmates were sitting together, drinking tea and smoking. I called the DIG and investigated. Now we have suspended seven officials.” The minister also said that an investigation would be launched to find out who took the later leaked photographs.

Parameshwar further said, “The CCB also raided the jail the day before because they had received a tip-off. We will check that too. We should ensure that something like this does not happen again.”

Earlier on August 25, photos of Darshan, who is being held in Parappana Agrahara for the abduction, torture and murder of Chitradurga man Renukaswamy, were leaked online. In the leaked photos, Darshan is seen sitting in what looks like the garden area of ​​the prison, holding a coffee cup in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He is sitting alongside other inmates, including his manager Nagaraj and notorious rowdy Wilson Garden Naga. The photos led to speculation about how Darshan got cigarettes in a closed facility and whether he was enjoying inadequate amenities compared to other prisoners.

Many also recalled similar incidents in 2017 from the same jail where Sasikala, the aide to late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, was incarcerated. Video footage from that time showed Sasikala meeting visitors for hours and walking out of her prison block with a bag.