His girlfriend Pavithra Gowda and 12 others are already in judicial custody. City police have arrested 17 people on charges of murdering Darshan’s fan Renukaswamy, 33, of Chitradurga, after the victim allegedly sent derogatory messages and pictures to Pavithra.
This is the second time Darshan is walking into judicial custody at Central Prison. In Sept 2011, he was arrested for beating his wife Vijayalakshmi asnd his then three-year-old son, and threatening the former with his licensed revolver. Back then, he spent around a month as an undertrial prisoner before the high court granted him bail. Later, the case was closed as Vijayalakshmi withdrew it. The couple, in a press meet, announced they had worked out a compromise.
On Saturday, judge Vijaykumar Jatla remanded Darshan, Dhanaraj alias Raju, Vinay V, and Pradosh to judicial custody till July 4. On Thursday, the court had handed the other 10 accused, including Pavithra, to judicial custody. Before that, it was the turn of three youths.
Fans gather on road, cheer
As soon as the police mini-bus carrying Darshan and others came out from the court premises and joined Nrupatunga Road, hundreds of fans tried to catch a glimpse of their ‘D Boss’ (as the star is referred to by his die-hard fans). The crowd cheered when Darshan waved at them from inside the bus. When he tried to get up from his seat to go close to the window, cops pulled him back.
Tight police security was arranged in and around the entrance of the prison. Four platoons of Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) along with 50 police personnel, led by deputy commissioner of police (Southeast) CK Baba, were deployed. The cops were seen chasing away the curious crowd that had started gathering near Jail Circle soon after news of Darshan’s arrival spread.
