BENGALURU: A day after a photo and a video call clip of Sandalwood actor Darshan hanging out with a notorious rowdy-sheeter inside the Central Prison in Bengaluru went viral, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah ordered the suspension of seven jail officials.
The suspended jail officials are: jailers Sharanabasava Amingad and Prabhu S Khandelwal; assistant jailers LS Thippeswamy and Srikant Talawar; head warders Venkappa Korti and Sampath Kumar Kadapatti and warder Basappa Teli.
Taking serious note of the preferential treatment being given to Darshan and a few others undertrials inside the jail, the CM has instructed the shifting of the Kannada actor and other inmates to different jails. He has also directed the DG & IGP to visit the Central Prison and submit a detailed report.
State home minister G Parameshwara told journalists that seven officials attached to the Central Prison have already been suspended. “As soon as I got the information, the seven officials were suspended. If any senior official has a role in it, we will initiate strict action against him,” the minister said.
Accused of kidnapping, torture, and murder of his fan Renukaswamy, Darshan and his associates have been lodged at the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison for the last three months.
However, on Sunday, photos of Darshan and his manager Nagaraja leisurely hanging out with rowdy-sheeter Wilson Garden Naga and smoking cigarettes went viral on the internet.
Later, a video call clipping of Darshan interacting with someone also surfaced.