Probe on over 'special treatment' to actor Darshan in Bengaluru prison; inmates, officials grilled
Bengaluru (PTI): Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda on Friday said that the activities of the Parappana Agrahara Central prison here are being investigated, with a number of inmates and officials being questioned, after it came to light that some inmates, such as actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, were being accorded "special treatment".
A photograph of Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, who is currently in judicial custody in the Renukaswamy murder case, hanging out with three others, including a rowdy-sheeter, on the lawns of the Bengaluru jail went viral on Sunday, sparking an uproar.
In the picture, the actor is seen in a relaxed mood, sitting on a chair and holding a cigarette and a coffee mug. Also, a purported video of Darshan speaking to a person over a video call from the prison too has surfaced on social media.
"In Parappana Agrahara police station, three cases have been registered regarding various illegalities that have happened at the Parappana Agrahara central prison. Two cases have been booked on inmates there, while the third case is against the prison officials," Dayananda said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said all three cases are being probed by the Bengaluru South-East division police. While the case against prison officials is being probed by an assistant commissioner of police (ACP) rank official, the other two are being probed by inspector rank officials.
The commissioner said that court permission has been taken to conduct an investigation inside the prison and that the probe has been on for the past two days. "One more photo has emerged from the prison and information regarding it is being gathered and it has been clubbed with the ongoing probe."
The probe is being led by the South-East division Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sarah Fathima and it is being supervised by Additional Commissioner of Police Raman Gupta," he further said, adding that "Investigation is going on and many inmates and officials have been subjected to inquiry...if anyone gives specific information regarding any other illegalities that have occurred at the prison, we will take merciless and strict action."
Nine prison officials, including the chief superintendent of Parappana Agrahara jail, were suspended on Monday over their "lapses" after a preliminary probe into the "special treatment" given to Darshan.
Three FIRs were registered, including against Darshan, under sections of the Prisons Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The 24th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court here on Tuesday granted permission to move Darshan to a jail in Ballari, after the uproar over the photograph.
Darshan was on Thursday shifted from Parappana Agrahara Central prison here to a jail in Ballari amid tight security.
The court has also permitted shifting of other co-accused in the murder case to various prisons in the state, and a few of them were relocated on Thursday, while the process is on for the remaining others, official sources said.
A Bengaluru court on Wednesday extended till September 9 the judicial custody of Darshan along with his friend Pavithra Gowda and 15 others, who are accused in the Renukaswamy murder case.
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
