Resort held obscene party, claims outfit

A blackmail tactic, affirms owner but police say clean chit not yet; employees’ role to be probed.

Activists of a pro-Kannada organisation released on Tuesday a CD of what they claimed was the video of an obscene dance party conducted at a resort at Doddaballapur near here. The owner of the resort, however, asserted that the move was part of the outfit’s “blackmailing” tactics.

The matter is now being investigated by Bangalore Rural police who agreed, in part, with the resort owner but haven’t given him a clean chit yet.

Shivaramegowda, who heads a faction of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, released the CD before the media at Doddaballapur. He alleged that the S R Valley Resort at Ghati Subramanya was a “den of illegal activities.” The CD was provided to him by a villager.

Such programmes were regularly organised and visitors had to pay for entry, he alleged. Nearly 200 people attended the said party and there were three classes of tickets, he claimed, adding that the resort was built on an encroached land belonging to the government. A thorough inquiry is needed.  He also said that the video was recorded on December 29, 2012 — a claim refuted by the resort owner, Sampangi Ramaiah.

In separate remarks to the press, Ramaiah admitted that the video was indeed recorded at his resort, but disputed the date of recording. The video was recorded on October 9, 2009 when the resort was rented out to JVR Agrichemicals, a firm based in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, for a get-together of its employees, he claimed.

“There were about 100 men who had brought five women along. They arranged for this sensual dance programme around 2 am that day,” Ramaiah said, stressing that not one employee of the resort, including him, attended the party.

‘Police didn’t act’

Ramaiah said that he learnt about the incident when an unidentified person showed him the CD in 2010 and attempted to “blackmail” him. But he didn’t give in and even lodged a complaint against the said firm with the Doddaballapur Rural police who, however, failed to take action. The matter resurfaced now as some people tried to “blackmail” him again. “They threatened to go public and get the resort closed down if I didn’t meet their demands,” Ramaiah affirmed.

On their part, police have begun an investigation. Bangalore Rural Superintendent of Police, D Prakash, and Additional SP, S Nagaraj, visited the resort. Prakash agreed, in part, with Ramaiah’s claim that the video was recorded in 2009. “The CD was in circulation in 2010 and has resurfaced now,” he told Deccan Herald, confirming that Ramaiah had indeed lodged a police complaint on November 9, 2010.

But the matter was not pursued. Now, a case has been booked against unknown persons for performing obscene acts and songs in public. “We have to investigate whether Ramaiah or any employee was involved. The police’s failure to act on the complaint three years ago will also be probed,” Prakash added.