Video: Actor Darshan, Accused in Renukaswamy Murder, Caught Flashing Middle Finger at Media

New Delhi: Republic Kannada has accessed a video showing actor Darshan Thogudeepa, currently incarcerated in connection with the Renukaswamy murder case, casually walking before spotting media personnel and suddenly raising his middle finger. The viral clip shows Darshan maintaining the gesture as he walks past the cameras. His actions have drawn widespread criticism, with many questioning his behaviour while facing serious legal charges. Officials are yet to issue a statement on the incident.  

Meanwhile, Darshan has filed a writ petition in the High Court, requesting a directive to restrain media outlets from broadcasting or publishing any details from the chargesheet. The 47-year-old actor is currently lodged in Ballari prison. He was shifted there from the Parappana Agrahara Central jail by obtaining court permission, after a photograph of him hanging out with three others, including a rowdy sheeter, on the lawns of the jail had gone viral, sparking an uproar.

In the picture, the actor was seen in a relaxed mood, sitting on a chair and holding a cigarette and a coffee mug. Also, a purported video of Darshan speaking to a person over a video call from the prison had surfaced on social media.

The court had also permitted the shifting of other co-accused in the murder case to various prisons in the state.

Other accused -- Pawan, Raghavendra and Nandish -- are now lodged in Mysuru Jail, Jagadish and Lakshmana in Shivamogga Jail, Dhanraj in Dharwad Jail, Vinay in Vijayapura Jail, Nagaraj in Kalaburagi/Gulbarga Jail, and Pradosh in Belagavi Jail.

The three accused -' Pavithra Gowda, Anukumar, and Deepak -- continue to remain at Parappana Agrahara Central Jail here. Four accused -- Ravi, Karthik, Nikhil and Keshavamurthy -- were earlier shifted to Tumakuru prison and they continue to remain lodged there.

Nine prison officials, including the Chief Superintendent of the Parappana Agrahara jail, were suspended over their "lapses" after a preliminary probe into "special treatment" to Darshan.

Also, three FIRs were registered, including against Darshan, under sections of the Prisons Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

According to police sources, 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor, had sent obscene messages to Pavithra, which enraged Darshan, allegedly leading to his murder. His body was found near a stormwater drain next to an apartment in Sumanahalli here on June nine.

Raghavendra, one of the accused who is part of Darshan's fan club in Chitradurga, had brought Renukaswamy to a shed in R R Nagar here, on the pretext that the actor wanted to meet him. It was in this shed that he was allegedly tortured and murdered.

According to the post-mortem report, Renukaswamy, a native of Chitradurga, died due to shock and haemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt injuries.