Security Breach Exposed: VVIP Treatment and Liquor Parties in Bengaluru Central Jail Prompt Major Administrative Overhaul

Several videos from Bengaluru's Parappana Agrahara Central Prison have triggered significant security concerns across Karnataka.

Bengaluru Central Jail has become the center of multiple controversies after shocking videos emerged showing inmates receiving VVIP treatment and hosting liquor parties within prison walls. In response to these viral videos, Karnataka Home Minister has implemented comprehensive reforms and disciplinary measures, including establishing a committee, suspending two senior officers, and transferring another.

Following the exposure of these concerning videos from Bengaluru's Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, Home Minister Gangadharaiah Parameshwara has mandated the formation of a "high-power committee" tasked with investigating activities across all state prisons.

Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) for Law and Order, Hitendra Nath, will lead this committee alongside Sandeep Patil and additional senior officers. The committee has been given a one-month timeframe to deliver a comprehensive report on Parappana Agrahara Prison's operations.

The Chief Superintendent of Prison, K Suresh, has been immediately transferred, while Superintendent Mygeri and Assistant Superintendent Ashok have been suspended pending a thorough investigation.

In an unprecedented move, an IPS officer will now assume responsibility for the Central Prison, representing a major administrative change.

Parameshwara confirmed that among approximately five videos that appeared online Sunday, showing inmates dancing, watching television, and using mobile phones, three were from 2023 while two were recorded this year.

The Home Minister has also instructed that CCTV footage be audited every 15 days, with senior officers required to conduct prison inspections and submit formal reports.

These regulations will be implemented across all prisons throughout Karnataka.

Furthermore, officials who have served more than five years in the same correctional facility will be transferred to enhance transparency and accountability.

A technical audit has been ordered for all prison equipment, including scanners and surveillance systems. Currently housing around 5,000 inmates, Parappana Agrahara facility may see prisoners divided into separate groups to address overcrowding issues.

The videos that surfaced on Sunday revealed elaborate party preparations inside the jail - including liquor in disposable glasses, cut fruits, and fried peanuts. Another video showed four small liquor bottles arranged neatly, with some inmates dancing while others created rhythmic sounds by banging utensils.

Even more concerning footage raised serious questions about prison security when high-profile inmates - an ISIS recruiter and a serial rapist-killer - were seen freely using mobile phones and watching television.

Zuhaib Hameed Shakeel Manna, known for recruiting for ISIS, was recorded scrolling through a phone and drinking tea with television or radio sounds playing in the background.

Umesh Reddy, implicated in 18 rape and murder cases, was captured using two Android phones and a keypad mobile, with a television installed in his barracks. The Supreme Court had previously commuted his death sentence to 30 years imprisonment in 2022 after he requested clemency claiming mental illness, though he was subsequently declared medically sound.