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Over the past decade, the Karnataka government has formed five committees to tighten security at Parappana Agrahara – four under Congress rule and one under BJP rule.
A committee inspected six central prisons across Karnataka and recommended biometric attendance systems, scanning machines and watchtowers to improve surveillance. (Symbolic image/Reuters)
After sensational videos and recent exposés showing prisoners Parappana Agrahara Central Prison Faced with access to television, mobile phones and alcohol – including an ISIS activist and a convicted serial rapist and murderer – the Karnataka government has formed another committee to recommend measures to tighten security. But the question being asked is what happened to all the other recommendations made by the committees formed by the previous governments?
The leaked video shows high-risk prisoners in one of India’s highest security prisons – high-risk criminal Zuhaib Hameed Shakeel Manna, a notorious recruiter for terrorist group ISIS; Umesh Reddy, a convicted serial rapist and murderer; And Telugu actor Tarun, co-accused in the sensational gold smuggling case involving actor Ranya Rao, is enjoying privileges that are restricted inside the jail. It includes scenes of him watching television and handling high-end mobile phones inside his cell.
The footage has again raised serious questions about security lapses, corruption and preferential treatment of prisoners in Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara jail. The latest committee was announced by Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara on November 10, 2025 and will be headed by Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) R Hitendra.
“One of the biggest loopholes in the system is the so-called jammers,” a senior police officer said. “Recommendations have been made at regular intervals that calls coming from towers around the jail complex should be checked on a regular basis. This can lead to a lot of illegal activities. Leakages can be reduced and checked,” the officer said.
Many recommendations have been made by committees constituted by successive governments over the years, but they remain limited to paper only. “There is a lack of actual, ground-level implementation,” said another officer, adding that both policing and the prison system need reform.
The latest videos of high-risk prisoners using mobile phones and watching TV have once again triggered an official investigation and formation of another committee to look into large-scale irregularities and suggest systemic reforms.
“There is no permanent solution when it comes to prisons,” said a senior police officer. “What we are dealing with is the lives of the people who spend their time there. Most of them are undertrials, and there is a tendency to develop a system that learns to circumvent every rule. Many officers spend years in the same department and develop long-term relationships with the prisoners. This is probably where the rot starts.”
It is learned that around 2017-18 a special fund was allocated which would be used for whistleblowers and they would be given a token of appreciation if they brought irregularities to notice and helped maintain checks and balances. Its objective was to help lower level officers gain recognition through honest work and effective intelligence gathering.
“This fund has remained untouched, and there seems to be a pull towards making money illegally. This needs to be nipped in the bud; this is an ongoing process,” a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity.
Over the past decade, the Karnataka government has formed five committees to tighten security at Parappana Agrahara – four under Congress rule and one under BJP rule – but each time these committees were formed only after “leaks” or “exposed” of illegal incidents inside the jail. An official said, “This cannot be a knee-jerk reaction. A systemic, consistent investigation is needed. Handling the prison department is a tough job, but issues like overcrowding, staff shortage and corruption also remain unresolved.”
There are nine central prisons in Karnataka, but Parappana Agrahara houses about 5,000 prisoners.
If you go back a decade, in 2014, then CID DGP Bipin Gopalkrishna was appointed to investigate the escape of serial rapist Jaishankar from Parappana Agrahara. Another inquiry was also constituted under the leadership of Additional Chief Secretary (Home) to probe Jaishankar’s escape and the alleged collusion of jail staff. When Jaishankar was recaptured, he revealed that he was given access to a key to escape. He was later found dead in his cell in 2018 after allegedly slitting his throat with a shaving blade.
The committee inspected six central prisons across Karnataka and recommended biometric attendance systems, scanning machines and watchtowers to improve surveillance.
In another sensational case in 2017, the Vinay Kumar committee was formed after IPS officer D Roopa was revealed to have given preferential treatment to VK Sasikala, who is serving a sentence in a disproportionate assets case. Rupa’s report alleged that Sasikala was given a separate kitchen, private clothes and extended visiting hours and that officials had taken bribes worth Rs 2 crore to facilitate this.
Roopa had also highlighted how a conduit for drugs existed inside the jail premises, and that eight prisoners in the jail hospital had tested positive for drugs.
These violations are confirmed in the Kumar Committee’s 22-page report, which points to fake prison records and CCTV footage showing Sasikala and her aide Ilavarasi moving freely outside their cells.
The report also documented prison conditions – the prison is overcrowded by 44 percent, is running on less than half its sanctioned staff strength, and is staffed with 19 jailers who had not been working for a year. It recommended filling vacancies, improving vigilance, revising the old 1978 Karnataka prison manual and ensuring segregation of prisoners according to risk level.
“One cannot say that no reforms or changes have taken place, but when it comes to handling prisons, it is a slow process. The new wing of Bengaluru Central Jail will be ready soon, and this will solve the problem of overcrowding. Monitoring of visitors to the prison was also one of the top recommendations.
“There was also a recommendation that police officers should not carry their mobile phones inside the jail premises. Landlines can be used for communication. People visiting should also surrender their devices before entering. A thorough screening process is needed, and it should be done with conviction,” said another senior officer aware of the details of the various recommendations made over the years.
In 2022, another scandal broke after videos surfaced showing prisoners, including terrorism suspects, using mobile phones and distributing money to prison staff. The government constituted the S Murugan Committee under the chairmanship of Additional Director General of Police S Murugan.
Their report pointed to widespread collusion between staff and prisoners, illegal trafficking, and preferential treatment for some prisoners. Murugan’s recommendations were clear: penalize colluding staff, install advanced mobile jammers, introduce transparent transfer policies at regular intervals to prevent staff-prisoner nexus, and make psychological counseling mandatory for prison officials.
News18 accessed the report submitted by this committee in 2022, which said that there is a need to install CCTV cameras in maximum security rooms, especially those rooms where prisoners involved or booked in cases related to the bomb blasts are confined.
Facial recognition software, an automated boom barrier and a UVSM, or under-vehicle search mirror, to identify individuals and vehicles entering the jail were also recommended.
It was also recommended to transfer officers including KSISF personnel at regular intervals within a period of six months to one year.
Then, in 2024, after videos surfaced of Kannada actor Darshan, accused in a murder case, enjoying privileges inside jail, another committee was formed. The video shows Darshan casually sipping tea while sitting with gangster Wilson Garden Naga. To investigate this, a committee was formed under the leadership of Dr. Chandragupta, the then head of the Central Crime Branch. The report points out deep irregularities and once again calls for structural reforms – splitting Parappana Agrahara into two separate prisons, filling about 40 per cent of the vacant posts, appointing a superintendent-rank officer on night duty and monitoring CCTV footage from third-party agencies. The committee also recommended that the live feed from the prison command center be linked to the Bengaluru City Police command hub for real-time monitoring.
Another committee also made recommendations, which included that staff wear body cameras, all supplies coming in from outside be videographed, jammers be repaired, random rotation system be followed in barrack allocation, prisoners be separated based on crime and risk, and medical officers be rotated annually to prevent collusion.
“Trucks full of food, vegetables and grains are sent every day to prepare meals for the prisoners. Every truck cannot be examined closely; some quantity will leak out. But the scenes we saw recently are certainly horrifying,” said an official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
One of the recommendations consistently made by all the committees is to inspect goods and food vehicles for prohibited items. A senior official said suppliers of goods from warehouses should be checked, as well as KSISF personnel inspecting vehicles entering the jail premises.
One of the earliest recommendations for prison reforms in India dates back to the 1980s, when the Mulla Committee was formed to suggest comprehensive changes to India’s prison system. The committee’s mandate covered a wide range of issues, including prison administration, security, living conditions, medical and mental care, and treatment of undertrials and female prisoners.
Another important committee at the national level was the Justice Amitava Roy Committee, set up by the Supreme Court in 2018, which was tasked with examining persistent problems in prisons across the country and proposing systemic reforms to address them.
Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor, News18, has been a journalist in the television and digital space for almost two decades. She covers South India for News18’s digital platform. She has worked with him before also…read more
Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor, News18, has been a journalist in the television and digital space for almost two decades. She covers South India for News18’s digital platform. She has worked with him before also… read more
November 13, 2025, 08:00 IST
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