More articles by

Prathima Nandakumar
Prathima Nandakumar

BENGALURU CENTRAL JAIL

Bribegate: VIP perks put on hold, but is it enough?

bengaluru-jail-protest-12 Members of Human Rights Defence shout slogans against the Karnataka government over the transfer of the DIG Prison D Roopa, who exposed the VIP treatment being provided to AIADMK general secretary Sasikala in jail, in Bengaluru on Thursday | PTI

The winds of change are whistling their way through the stone walls of the Bengaluru Central Jail in Parappana Agrahara. Days after the explosive jail report by then DIG (Prisons) D. Roopa gave credence to strong rumours of "irregularities" inside the jail, including special treatment to VVIP convicts—AIADMK general secretary V.K. Sasikala convicted in disproportionate assets case and kingpin of multi-crore fake stamp paper scam Abdul Karim Telgi for a "price", the 'VIP culture' in the prison seems to be fading. 

On Thursday, AIADMK deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran was refused special entry to meet his aunt and AIADMK general secretary V.K. Sasikala by the jail authorities, as the visitors of other inmates waiting outside in the queue demanded that Dhinakaran, too, should be given a token and made to wait for his turn. Dhinakaran, who was accompanied by three MLAs, had to leave without meeting Sasikala. 

“The allegations of bribe are baseless,” he told reporters. Sources also confirmed that Sasikala too had been weaned of the "perks" in the wake of the big expose. 

Meanwhile, questions are being raised over the "travesty of justice" as the disproportionate assets case was shifted to Bengaluru in 2003, after DMK leader K. Anbazhagan had moved the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the case out of Tamil Nadu for a "free and fair" probe. Ironically, Karnataka finds itself in a spot over the allegation of having extended "VIP perks" to a convict Sasikala, who is serving a four-year jail term. 

Last week, an embarrassed state government had initiated a high-level probe by retired IAS officer Vinay Kumar, soon after allegations of Rs 2 crore being paid as bribe to top jail officials for extending special facilities to Sasikala became public. The Siddaramaiah government also initiated a slew of transfers as a face saving measure. 

DGP H.N. Satyanarayana Rao was transferred (and sent on forced leave). But, what shocked the people and the opposition parties was the shunting out of whistle-blower Roopa, who was transferred as Commissioner of Traffic and Road Safety citing "violation" of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules. 

The jail inmates and their families outside launched an aggressive protest demanding reinstatement of Roopa and the ouster of jail superintendent Krishna Kumar, who is accused of assaulting 32 jail inmates for siding with Roopa and Anita, who has been in-charge of the barrack occupied by Sasikala.

Amid protests by prisoners and families, and the BJP women's wing, the government finally moved out both tainted officers—Krishna Kumar (to Gulbarga jail) and R. Anita (to Dharwad). 

Interestingly, a video clipping of Telgi's cell with the comforts—a cot, an LED television, a computer, and under-trials “assigned” to give him massages—went viral on social media. While, visuals showing five cells being cordoned off for Sasikala's use, a meeting room, a well equipped kitchen and luxuries like mattress, mosquito net, utensils and Sasikala taking a stroll in a silk salwar kameez were splashed in the media, which substantiated the claims made in the jail report. Now, will transfers alone suffice, ask citizens. 

What the two explosive reports say

Report one

The explosive jail report submitted by DIG Prisons on July 12, 2017 has mentioned irregularities in Parappana Agrahara jail, including “special facilities” for high-profile convicts like Sasikala and Telgi. The nine-points raised by Roopa are: 

1. Exchange of Rs 2 crore as bribe to buy VIP treatment for Sasikala, including a special kitchen

2. Kingpin of fake stamp paper scam Abdul Kain Telgi enjoys VIP treatment, 3-4 undertrials used for body massage—no offical action taken

 3. Unabated ganja smuggling in jail. During a recent drug (urine) test, 18 out of 25 inmates tested positive for drugs like cannabis, barbiturates, benzodiazepine and morphine

 4. Convicts manning the records room raise concerns of misuse of crucial documents 

5. Reasons for her boss (Rao) questioning her visit to the jail "without permission" 

6. Inmates issuing threats to doctors who demand issue of certificates to help them get treatment outside hospitals

 7. Concern over inmates working at pharmacy and misuse of sleeping pills

8. Inaction over a case of harrassment reported on June 23, where a nurse was manhandled by an inmate

9. No action taken in the case of an attack on chief medical officer on June 29

Report two

The second report is also an internal report submitted to the higher-ups, highlighting the crucial evidences against the alleged irregularities and the need to safeguard them. 

1. Report mentions a locked room on the first floor, where all other officers' chambers are located, as the "meeting room" spruced up with curtains, a table, a revolving chair and four chairs for Sasikala to meet her visitors. While ordinary prisoners meet their visitors in an enclosure, divided by a mesh, and under CCTV surveillance (camera 6 and 7), Sasikala has been allowed a private meeting room, in violation of the Prison Rules. The recordings of Camera 6 and 7 will ascertain the claim, as you will find no footages of Sasikala's visitors though one can find their names in the register. 

2. The officer has appealed to the department to ensure protection of the crucial footages and hold the officials responsible in case of loss of the evidence. The evidences include CCTV footages of (camera No. 89) Telgi's cell which are crucial evidence to prove VIP treatment. These footages also prove the existence of Sasikala's special kitchen. 

3. Report notes plight of undertrials (in barrack no. 3) who have not been given legal aid for almost a year now. 

4. The officer has also urged the DGP to arrange to send the official video recordings of her previous visit to the jail and her interaction with the inmates, as they are crucial evidences to prove the points made in her reports. Roopa has put on record that her prior requests for the recordings were not honoured as she received a blank pendrive once and subsequently, a pendrive with all crucial portions of the footages missing. 

5. Suspicion of inmates using mobilephones as the mobilephone jammers inside the jail continue to be dysfunctional despite the annual maintenance contract being in place. 

6. Irregularities in parole and release of prisoners and food tenders have been reported through anonymous calls and letters and during interaction.

 7. Roopa has sought disciplinary action against Bengaluru's jail superintendent Krishna Kumar and Belgaum jail superintendent T.P. Sesha for violating the service rules by speaking to the media and for releasing her entry in the jail register and CCTV visuals during inmates' protests to the media. 

This browser settings will not support to add bookmarks programmatically. Please press Ctrl+D or change settings to bookmark this page.

Related Reading