Irregularities at Bengaluru Central Prison: Probe hits roadblock over pending nod

Bengaluru: Five months have passed since a viral photo showing inmates receiving “special treatment” inside the Bengaluru Central Prison exposed irregularities and led to three FIRs, but investigations into two of those cases have made no progress, DH has learnt from multiple police sources.

A senior police official, overseeing the investigation told DH, that while preliminary information has been collected, prison officials are yet to be questioned. The investigation has slowed down because the prison department has not granted the necessary sanctions to proceed with the interrogation.

Under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, police officers investigating a case involving a public servant must obtain permission from the head of the relevant department before interrogating that public servant.

In this case, the police require permission from Malini Krishnamoorthy, Director General of Police (DGP) for Prisons and Correctional Services.

According to the official, investigators have requested inquiry sanctions from the DGP, but she has yet to approve two out of three requests by Bengaluru police to question prison officials.

This delay persists despite the cases being considered critical to addressing flaws in the state’s prison system. DH’s repeated attempts to reach DGP Malini for comment on the delay did not yield the desired results.

“The inquiry sanction requests for three cases were submitted more than three months ago, but we’ve only received approval for one,” a senior police source told DH, adding that the remaining two case files are now gathering dust.

In addition to the prison department, Bengaluru police have also requested permission from the Health Department to question visiting doctors at the Central Prison. The approval is still pending, according to the police.

The irregularities came to light when a photo taken inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, showing Kannada film star Darshan Thoogudeepa socialising with notorious rowdy sheeter Nagaraj alias ‘Wilson Garden’ Naga and others, went viral on August 24 last year.

After the photo hit the headlines, three FIRs were filed: One regarding Darshan video calling a man named Satya, another about Darshan sipping a beverage and smoking while hobnobbing with rowdy sheeters, and the third related to prison officers moving suspicious boxes before a Central Crime Branch (CCB) raid on the prison.

Following the viral photo, nine prison officials were suspended, and more than a dozen rowdy sheeters held under the Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act (KCOCA) at Parappana Agrahara jail were transferred to different prisons. Darshan and his associates, accused for Chitradurga resident Renukaswamy’s murder, were moved to Ballari prison.

Even after the irregularities were exposed, mobile phones and contraband were seized in at least four separate instances. A team led by Southeast Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Sarah Fathiema, made the largest haul during a Bengaluru prison raid in the meantime.

These incidents demonstrate the continued influx of unauthorised goods into the prison through unidentified channels, said an investigating officer.

“These cases are vital for understanding the illegal channels through which inmates are receiving contraband. However, the investigation is not progressing,” the officer stated.

According to a senior police official, the prison department summoned the investigator three times for clarification in inquiry sanctions. “This has been the reverse of a police investigation,” the officer humorously commented.