Karnataka: Jail authorities have provided a television to jailed Kannada superstar Darshan on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. Darshan, along with his partner Pavitra Gowda and 15 others, is facing charges of kidnapping and murdering his fan Renukaswamy. Sources said jail authorities allowed a 32-inch television to be installed in Darshan’s cell on Saturday morning. Darshan had sought a television from jail authorities last week, saying he wanted to stay updated with news related to the filing of chargesheet in his case and was ‘keen’ to know what was happening in the outside world. Sources said there is a provision for providing television as per jail guidelines and the delay was because the television had to be repaired. Jail authorities had earlier acceded to Darshan’s request for a surgical chair, as he was unable to use the Indian toilet available in his cell. Darshan had also sought permission to make phone calls, which he was allowed. He said Rs 35,000 was deposited in the prisoner’s personal account and he spent Rs 735 on tea and coffee ordered from the jail canteen. Sources revealed that Darshan is under pressure after the chargesheet was filed against him and is worried about the consequences.
Meanwhile, the chargesheet reveals the cruelty inflicted by Darshan on Renukaswamy during his imprisonment. It mentions that Darshan and the other accused forced Renukaswamy to eat non-vegetarian food even though they knew that they were vegetarians. When Renukaswamy spat out biryani, Darshan kicked him and scolded him for spitting out the food.
Darshan reportedly kicked Renukaswamy repeatedly while they were covered in blood and severely injured. Darshan later travelled to Mysore city wearing the same shoes which bore Renukaswamy’s blood marks. However, when the police arrested Darshan the next morning, he was wearing other shoes. The hotel staff packed his blood-stained shoes and other belongings and sent them to Darshan’s wife Vijayalakshmi’s residence in Bengaluru.
The police later seized all the belongings belonging to Darshan from Vijayalakshmi’s residence. Sources said the blood stains on Darshan’s shoes are one of the crucial evidences in the case to prove his involvement in the murder.
