Nine accused, arrested in connection with the murder case of Harsha, a Bajrang Dal activist in Shivamogga in February this year, have been booked under the Karnataka Prisons (Amendment) Act for using mobile phone inside the highly secured central prison of Parappana Agrahara to speak with their family and friends on Eid.
Based on the complaint by P.S. Ramesh, Chief Superintendent of Prisons, the Parappana Agarahara police on Saturday registered an FIR against Mohammad Khasif, Syed Nadeem, Syed Farooq, Rihan Shariff, Asifulla Khan, Abdul Afaan, Mohammad Irfan, Shahidullah Shariff, and Wasim Khan.
The incident came to light when the video of the accused chatting with their families and friends on mobile phone went viral on social media, prompting the prison officials to conduct a check.
The accused confessed that they had borrowed the mobile phone from two under trails of different cases, identified as Nihar and Maghdub, and returned the phone after making the calls on Eid. The accused Nihar and Maghdub are presently out on bail .
Based on their confession, the officials filed a complaint with the police to probe how the phone, which is banned inside the prison, was sourced. The incident also brought to light the use of banned items inside the prison despite heavy security and checks.
Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai assured action. “The State government has taken serious note of the happenings in Parappana Agrahara central jail. Action would be taken after getting complete details about it. These kinds of irregularities are happening frequently there. It seems a group is systematically engaged in this activity there. Such incidents were reported in the past too. It is prima facie clear that there are some who are colluding with the criminals and are corrupt. I will get a report and take action today itself," Mr. Bommai said.
