Bengaluru court extends judicial custody of actor Darshan, other accused till August 14
A Bengaluru court on Thursday extended the judicial custody of arrested Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, his friend Pavithra Gowda and 15 associates in the Renukaswamy murder case till August 14.
The 24th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court, presided over by Judge Vishwanath C Gowder, issued the order after all the accused persons appeared for the hearing via video conference from Parappana Agrahara and Tumkur jails.
According to the police, 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor, had sent obscene messages to Gowda, which enraged Darshan and prompted him to plan and execute his murder.
Renukaswamy's body was found near a stormwater drain next to an apartment in Sumanahalli here on June 9. One of the accused, Raghavendra, who is part of Darshan's fan club in Chitradurga, brought the fellow admirer of Darshan to a shed in R R Nagar in Bengaluru on the pretext that the actor wanted to meet him. It was in this shed that Renukaswamy was allegedly tortured and murdered.
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According to the post-mortem report, Renukaswamy, a native of Chitradurga, died due to shock and haemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt injuries. Police sources said Pavithra Gowda, who is accused number one, was the major cause for Renukaswamy's murder. They said that it has been proved from the probe that she instigated the other accused, conspired with them, and also took part in the crime.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
