The Karnataka police on Monday made a formal request to an Additional City Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) court to relocate Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and others accused of torture, abuse and murder from Parapanna Agrahara jail to Tumkur prison, arguing that there were concerns about maintaining law and order if they were to remain in the same premises together.
A magistrate court on Saturday remanded Darshan, who has been in prison since June 11, to judicial custody in the case till July 4. Other accomplices, including his partner Pavithra Gowda, have also been sent to judicial custody till the same date.
Darshan has been arrested for the torture and murder of Renukaswamy, who was abducted from Chitradurga on June 8 and allegedly attacked brutally by the actor and his accomplices for reportedly sending lewd messages to Pavithra Gowda. The police have thus far arrested 17 people.
In court on Saturday, special prosecutor Prasanna Kumar had voiced objections to the proposal of keeping Darshan and others arrested in the same facility, citing apprehensions about their security. Darshan’s lawyers, however, have strongly opposed the plea.
One police officer said, “When he was taken to the prison, a huge number of his fans gathered at the court and raised slogans in favour of Darshan. Similarly, there are concerns about his safety because of his background and the nature of the case, so the request has been made,” said a senior IPS officer.
{{/usCountry}}One police officer said, “When he was taken to the prison, a huge number of his fans gathered at the court and raised slogans in favour of Darshan. Similarly, there are concerns about his safety because of his background and the nature of the case, so the request has been made,” said a senior IPS officer.
{{/usCountry}}The police have also pointed to allegations that witnesses are being threatened in the case.
“A complaint has been lodged against the aides of the accused number two (Darshan) for threatening the eye-witnesses of the case at the Annapoorneshwari Nagar police station,” the remand note said. “Actress Pavithra Gowda(A1), Darshan(A2) and other accused involved in the case have been ‘creating obstacles continuously’ in the investigation of the case.”
In the court, police has also charged all the accused with trying to destroy material evidence.
“The court is requested to grant permission to apply for Renukaswamy’s SIM card from the service provider to ‘re-access’ the data in the mobile phone, which the accused had thrown in the Sumanahalli Stormwater Drain to destroy the data,” the remand note submitted on Saturday said.