Darshan affair: Prison and staff must be reformed

Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, who has been in jail since June for a high-profile murder case, is reportedly enjoying “special privileges” in Bengaluru Central Jail. Viral pictures and videos show him smoking, making WhatsApp video calls and associating with notorious gangsters — activities banned under the Karnataka Prisons (Amendment) Act, 2022. Other pictures show history falsifiers living a comfortable life in Karnataka’s biggest and most secure prison. In one particularly revealing picture, gangster Srinivas alias Kulla Seena is seen celebrating his birthday with a gun-shaped cake in his prison cell. These incidents have deeply embarrassed the Karnataka government and forced Chief Minister Siddaramaiah personally to intervene and announce the suspension of nine prison officials. Home Minister G Parameshwara has vowed to prosecute those involved, including Darshan and the prison staff. On the request of the prison authorities, a Bengaluru court has shifted Darshan to Ballari Jail. These violations underscore the failure of the prison authorities to enforce prison rules and discipline and ensure equal treatment of all prisoners. Comparisons have been drawn with similar privileges granted to VIP prisoners in the past, including stamp duty scam boss Abdul Karim Telgi, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's close confidant V K Sasikala and mining magnate G Janardhana Reddy, to name a few. Questions have also been raised over the effectiveness of the government's much-publicised installation of cellphone jammers in the prison.