E-Paper
FIR filed over video of violations inside prison
An FIR was filed over videos showing inmates partying in Bengaluru Central Prison, leading to suspensions of officials and a probe into smuggled items.
A first information report (FIR) and three non-cognisable reports were filed on Tuesday over recently surfaced videos showing alleged violations of prison regulations inside the Bengaluru Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara, prison officials said.
In the purported clips, which HT has seen, convicts and undertrials were seen listening to loud music, drinking and dancing in a group and using banned items like mobile phones. According to prison officials, the action was taken based on a complaint by assistant superintendent Imaamasaab Myageri through jailor Gopinath D, over the contents of a particular clip, which depicts four undertrials— identified as Karthik alias Chitte, Dhananjaya, Manjunath V and Charan Rao B— dancing under the alleged influence of alcohol while listening to music in a location identified as room no. 7 in barrack no. 8 by officials.
The complaint sought a probe into how the mobile phone used to record the video was smuggled into the prison, when the footage was shot, and the identity of the person who leaked it on social media, said officials.
Parappana Agrahara police registered the case under Section 42 of the Karnataka Prisons Act, which deals with the introduction or removal of prohibited items in prison. Three additional NCRs were filed after separate clips appeared showing convicted serial rapist Umesh Reddy, and actor Tarun, facing trial in a gold-smuggling case, allegedly using mobile phones inside the jail.
State home minister G Parameshwara, who convened a review meeting on Monday following the revelations, subsequently ordered the suspension of two prison officials and transferred the chief superintendent of Bengaluru Central Prison. He called the incidents “a result of repeated indiscipline and negligence among staff,” adding, “The prison is meant to be a correctional institution, not a place for parties and privileges.”
Officials investigating the leaked video confirmed that the inmates were under the influence of intoxicants and were seen dancing to loud music while banging plastic cans and plates as drums.
The footage, which went viral on November 9, also showed liquor bottles and food items inside the barrack.
Meanwhile, police officers aware of the development said the Central Crime Branch (CCB) questioned Kannada actor Dhanveer, a close aide of actor Darshan — currently lodged in the same prison in connection with the Renukaswamy murder case — over suspicions of his role in circulating the footage. According to officials, Dhanveer was detained near Kempegowda International Airport on Sunday night, questioned overnight, and released after his mobile phone was seized for examination.
