Karnataka Police in Bengaluru took action on Thursday by arresting a senior BJP member. The person in charge, Santosh Kotyan, serves as the president of the BJP’s youth wing in Chikkamaguru district. Police said the arrest followed a complaint from Congress workers who claimed Kotyan used harsh language toward Home Minister G. Parameshwara during a protest.
The protest was about shocking videos that surfaced online. The clips showed serious offenders, including a suspected ISIS terrorist, a serial rapist‑killer, and other notorious inmates, enjoying luxuries in Bengaluru Central Prison. Viewers saw the inmates using mobile phones, televisions, and even liquor inside the prison cells—an admission that many called a disgrace.
Kotyan allegedly said, “Whatever happens in the state, the Home Minister says he doesn’t know… That’s why Parameshwara has turned into a daughter.” After the remark, Congress members filed a formal complaint, prompting the police to arrest him. The court placed Kotyan in judicial custody for 15 days.
The arrest sparked a tense scene on Market Road in Chikkamaguru. BJP workers tried to block police as they moved Kotyan toward a jeep. The police and party workers exchanged words and a brief scuffle broke out. Some BJP volunteers staged a protest outside the city police station, which prompted authorities to heighten security around the station the next day.
The videos that prompted the investigation highlighted several high‑profile inmates. Umesh Reddy, a notorious serial rapist and killer jailed in Parappana Agrahara Central Jail, appeared in the footage using two Android phones and a keypad mobile phone to communicate freely. Reddy earned his fame by raping around 20 women and killing 18 between 1996 and 2002. Although he was initially sentenced to death, he later claimed mental illness; doctors at NIMHANS found him fully sane.
Another inmate in the footage was Tarun Raju, linked to the Ranya Rao gold‑smuggling case and a Telugu actor. The clip shows Raju watching television and using a phone in his cell, a luxury impossible for a standard prisoner.
Perhaps most alarming, the videos also show foreign and domestic suspected terrorists in the same prison. A suspected ISIS member and alleged Lashkar‑e‑Taiba affiliates appear to use smartphones, raising serious national‑security concerns.
The revelations came after the Supreme Court urged Karnataka to enforce stricter rules on prison facilities. The court specifically warned that inmates must not receive high‑level comforts, especially after a separate investigation involving Kannada super‑star Darshan’s murders.
Karnataka Police will continue to investigate allegations of luxury treatment in Bengaluru Central Prison and prevent further incidents of inmates enjoying forbidden privileges.
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