Bengaluru, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday said he had ordered a surprise raid at the Bengaluru Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara after noticing administrative lapses during his recent visit, and warned that similar searches would be carried out in other prisons across the state.
Key Statements
“We will not allow anyone to receive VIP treatment like this. The raid itself is the message.
If you think you can bribe my officials and do what you want, you are mistaken,” the Minister said.
Political Context
According prison officials, a smart phone was found in the possession of former MP and rape convict Prajwal Revanna, grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, during the raid. “I visited the prisons recently. I found that there were certain difficulties that prisoners themselves were expressing. And more importantly, I found a lot of fault within the administration.
Kharge said around 100 Central Crime Branch personnel were deployed for the raid after he obtained Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s permission, and several lapses were detected. So that’s why yesterday we decided to have a surprise raid in the prisons,” he said.
He said action had already been initiated against officials suspected of facilitating violations inside the prison. Kharge said he had visited the prison two to three weeks ago and noticed “certain lapses”, which he subsequently discussed with senior officials before seeking the Chief Minister’s approval for the raid. He said the government would not allow VIP treatment to inmates.
