Facing flak over the video showing preferential treatment to actor Darshan in prison, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday directed authorities to transfer the accused actor and his associates to different jails. Darshan is lodged in Bengaluru Central Prison with 13 accused persons in the case of kidnapping and murder. The 13 include his partner, the main accused Pavithra Gowda.
Another four accused are lodged in Tumakuru district prison. The official statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) stated that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has considered the case of giving luxury treatment to Darshan in the Bengaluru Central Prison seriously. He has directed the authorities to suspend the responsible officers immediately.
CM Siddaramaiah has also given directions to shift Darshan and his associates to different jails across the state. The CM has also directed the Karnataka DGP to visit the prison and submit a detailed report. Meanwhile, the Karnataka prisons department has suspended seven staffers, including two jailers for allowing Kannada actor Darshan to smoke a cigarette and drink coffee inside the prison.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Home Minister G. Parameshwara announced this on Monday. The photo of Darshan seated on a chair outside his barrack with a cigarette in one hand and a coffee mug in another had gone viral on Sunday.
In the photo, Darshan's manager and other two jail inmates can also be seen sitting with him. The development had stirred contro.