Darshan affair: Prison, staff need reform
Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, jailed since June in a sensational murder case, is reportedly enjoying “special privileges” inside the Bengaluru Central Prison. Images and videos that have gone viral depict him smoking, making WhatsApp video calls, and hobnobbing with notorious gangsters — activities prohibited under the Karnataka Prisons (Amendment) Act, 2022. Other images reveal history-sheeters leading comfortable lives in Karnataka’s largest and most secure prison. In one particularly telling image, gangster Srinivas, alias Kulla Seena, is seen celebrating his birthday with a gun-shaped cake inside his prison cell. These incidents have deeply embarrassed the Karnataka government, forcing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah himself to step in and announce the suspension of nine prison officials. Home Minister G Parameshwara has vowed to prosecute those involved, including Darshan and the prison staff. Based on an application moved by the prison authorities, a Bengaluru court has transferred Darshan to the Ballari prison. These violations highlight the failure of the prison authorities to enforce prison rules and discipline as well as to ensure equal treatment for all prisoners. Comparisons have been drawn to similar privileges extended to VIP prisoners in the past, including stamp paper racket kingpin Abdul Karim Telgi, former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s close aide V K Sasikala, and mining baron G Janardhana Reddy, to name a few. Questions have also been raised on the effectiveness of the government’s much-publicised installation of mobile phone jammers in the prison.
The Darshan case might appear shocking due to his celebrity status, but those familiar with the state of affairs in Karnataka’s prisons aren’t surprised. It’s an open secret that money and political power hold sway in the Bengaluru prison. Nothing is out of reach for a prisoner who can pay. Bribes can secure anything -- from visitation appointments and security clearances to prohibited electronics, even illicit drugs. The opposite is also true. Elderly life convicts abandoned by their families often resort to begging to survive. Reports of sexual abuse and the prison’s role as a breeding ground for anti-social elements add to the troubling picture. Notorious rowdies often prefer to operate from inside the prison because of the safety and anonymity it provides. In one recent incident, a rowdy allegedly made an extortion call from his prison cell.
The Darshan incident should be a wake-up call for the authorities. The Karnataka Prisons and Correctional Services Manual, 2021, must be enforced in toto. There are clearly ‘guilty’ prison staff involved in the present episode. They must be brought to book and given exemplary punishment. Prison staff need to be monitored, independent inspections and a transparent complaint mechanism put in place. Prisoners with serious criminal backgrounds must not be allowed to “settle down” in a single prison to prevent collusion with staff.