New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Monday launched a strong attack on the Congress-led Karnataka government following the emergence of a viral video allegedly showing inmates at Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Jail enjoying “VVIP treatment.”
Poonawalla accused the state governmentof presiding over a complete breakdown of law and order, claiming corruption and collusion had turned Karnataka’s prisons into “party zones” for hardened criminals.
“Under the Congress regime in Karnataka, the law and order situation has completely collapsed. There is such an amount of corruption and collusion that prisons in Karnataka have now become party zones,” he told.
The BJP spokesperson alleged that the viral video showed a rape convict, an ISIS recruiter, and a gold smuggler using mobile phones and other prohibited items inside the prison.
“We can see a convicted serial rapist using a phone and watching television, an ISIS recruiter radicalising youth with access to mobile phones, and a gold smuggler partying with liquor inside the jail. This shows the level of rot in the system,” Poonawalla said.
Accusing the state government of providing “seven-star facilities” to criminals, Poonawalla demanded accountability from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister G. Parameshwara, calling for their resignation.
“This is not just negligence — it’s state-sponsored comfort for criminals. There must be accountability. Both the Chief Minister and the Home Minister should take responsibility and resign immediately,” he added.
Meanwhile, the BJP held a protest outside Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s residence in Bengaluru, denouncing what it called the Congress government’s failure to maintain discipline and control within the prison system.
BJP District Incharge S. Harish said the Congress government had turned Bengaluru’s prison into a “safe haven” for criminals.
“These prisons are no longer prisons under the Congress government; they have become safe havens. Terrorists across the country want to be transferred to Bengaluru jail because it’s being run like a resort,” he alleged.
The controversy erupted after a purported video surfaced showing inmates in Parappana Agrahara Jail — including death-row convict Umesh Reddy, gold smuggler Tarun Raj, and an ISIS operative — allegedly using mobile phones, watching TV, and consuming alcohol inside the facility.
In response, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara said that Jail Superintendent Magery and Assistant Superintendent of Police Ashok Bhajantri had been dismissed following an internal inquiry into the incident.
“Strict action has been taken. The officials responsible have been removed, and we are taking all measures to prevent such violations in the future,” Parameshwara said.
The state government has also called for a review meeting with senior officials to assess prison security and prevent recurrence of such incidents.
