BENGALURU: Nine police officers, including the chief superintendent of Bengaluru Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara, have been suspended after a video and photograph of actor Darshan Thoogudeepa having tea and cigarette with other prisoners in the jail went viral on Sunday.
While three FIRs have been registered in connection with this incident, Darshan is likely to be shifted from Bengaluru to another prison as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has instructed some top police officers to do so.
V Seshumurthy, chief superintendent, Bengaluru Central Prison, Mallikarjum Swamy, superintendent of prisons, Sharan Basappa Amingad and Prabhu S Khandelwal, jailers, LS Kuppeswamy and Srikanth Talwar, assistant jailers, Venkappa and Sampath Kumar, head warders, and K Basappa, warder, have been suspended.
Following criticism from various quarters over giving special treatment to the actor inside the prison, Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara visited the prison along with DG & IGP Alok Mohan and DGP (Prisons & Correctional Services) Malini Krishnamoorthy on Monday afternoon.
Admitting lapses on the part of prison officials, the home minister told reporters that nine officers have been suspended for dereliction of duty. The police have mentioned the actor’s name in the three FIRs, besides naming rowdy sheeters Wilson Garden Naga and Kulla Seena, and Darshan’s manager Nagaraj, who are seen with the actor in the photograph.
The police said the three cases, registered at Parappana Agrahara police station, have been handed over to officers of other stations to ensure an impartial probe. The cases have been registered on complaints from DIG (Prisons) Somashekhar.
The FIRs pertain to use of mobile phones and smoking cigarettes on the prison premises and smuggling these items into the jail. Some prison officers have also been named as accused in the FIRs.
‘Senior IPS officers to oversee investigations’
After the photograph, which is said to have been taken on August 22, went viral, prison officers IGP Anand Reddy and DIG Somashekhar visited the jail on Sunday evening. They are said to have found glaring lapses on the part of the suspended officers during the inquiry that went till Monday 1.30am. “Senior IPS officers have been directed to oversee the investigations into three cases,” Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara said. Surprisingly, sleuths of the Central Crime Branch (CCB), who raided the prison on Saturday, recovered nothing. Reacting to this, Dr Parameshwar said this aspect will also be probed. Meanwhile, Byadarahalli police on Monday arrested Sathya, with whom Darshan was on a video call in the leaked video clip. Sathya was arrested in Mandya.