Home Minister G. Parameshwara | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Home Minister G. Parameshwara said on Sunday that awaiting a preliminary report on the provision of facilities such as televisions or mobiles to inmates at the Parappana Agrahara Central Jail, a meeting would be convened to review the deficiencies. He also hinted that the government could set up a committee to recommend remedial measures.
Speaking to reporters in Davangere, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the government will take strict action against erring officials and take measures to ensure that it does not happen again.
“The Home Secretary will hold a review meeting on Monday,” he said.
Their comments came after inmate Umesh Reddy, a notorious serial rapist, was found to have a television and use a mobile phone, while Tarun Raju, an accused in a gold smuggling case and an ISIS operative, had access to mobile phones on prison premises.
The viral videos came shortly after the state government was embarrassed after an episode involving a video of film star Darshan, an accused in a murder case, was found to be getting privileges in jail. Another video of the troublemaker was recently seen cutting a cake and celebrating a birthday with an apple garland around his neck, leading to several suspensions and departmental investigations.
“In the past, when such incidents happened in Mangaluru and Belagavi jails, we took action against officials by suspending them. It happened repeatedly in Bengaluru. That’s when we took action. I spoke to ADGP B. Dayanand for a report in this regard,” he told reporters here on Sunday.
“I will not tolerate this nonsense. This should not happen. Even if there could be a shortage of staff, those who are working should be working well. This does not mean that inmates can be allowed to use mobile phones or television,” said Dr. Parameshwara.
“We’ve asked for a report. If we’re not satisfied with it, we’ll set up a committee of officers to take corrective action. I’ll also call a meeting to review the outages. Although we’ve approved jammers and CCTV cameras, they still need to be implemented in some places.”
He said that not only a terrorist but no one should have a mobile phone in prison. “If such facilities are provided, it will not become a prison,” he said.
Meanwhile, prison officials conducted surprise checks in several barracks on Sunday but reportedly found no items. A complaint was filed with the Parappana Agrahara police.
More videos
On Sunday night, several photos and videos appeared on social media purportedly showing inmates drinking alcohol and partying. However, The Hindu could not independently verify their veracity.
Published – 9 Nov 2025 20:37 IST
