Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], November 10 : The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is holding a protest outside Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's official residence in Bengaluru, after a viral video of Central Jail, showcasing "VVIP treatment" for inmates, including ISIS terrorists and rapists, surfaced online. Officials have been deployed outside the CM's residence to ensure safety.
BJP District Incharge, S Harish, criticised the Congress government for creating a safe haven for notorious criminals and terrorists inside Bengaluru prison.
"The prisons are not prisons anymore in this Congress government... They have become a safe haven...Terrorists across the country want a transfer to the Bangalore jail because it has become a safe haven... They want this jail only... "he said.
He said that the party seeks the immediate resignation of Karnataka Home Minister G. Pareeshwarappa and asked for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take moral responsibility for the incident.
During the protest, BJP MLA CN Ashwnath Narayan also slammed the Congress, saying that the party is in support of terrorists, which is "completely anti-national."
"There is no law and order, there is no system, there is no governance...The government has been patronising terrorists...The jail has become a paradise for the terrorists... This kind of support to the terrorists is completely anti-national... Activities have been taking place in jail, even then, the Congress government is not taking anything seriously... They are giving all the support to the terrorists..." he said.
BJP Karnataka Chief BY Vijayendra accused Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of enabling terrorists who were inside the jail.
"Not only do Radical elements and ISIS operatives enjoy a free hand outside, but even the Prisons in Karnataka have been turned into Government-sponsored Recreation Clubs for terrorists! Rahul Gandhi who frequently travels abroad and seeks external interference in India's internal matters, is he now enabling these terrorists and using their networks to create unrest across the nation and destabilize our democracy for artificial regime change with the help of the same foreign forces? Mobile phones, luxury comforts, and ample "fun time", no wonder these radicals find it so convenient to operate under this shameless regime and treat prisons as their favourite holiday destinations, where everything is provided to them free of cost, courtesy of the Anti-National Congress government and our poor taxpayers money! Such blatant compromise of national security is possible only with the active support and direction of the Congress government, acting as per the diktats of their "Supreme Leader" Rahul Gandhi, whose hunger for power outweighs the safety and sovereignty of our nation," he said.
Home Minister G Parmeshwara has assured of strict action in the case.
"I have called a meeting of all the senior officers today, and I will take stock of the situation. Some of the videos we have seen show someone supplying liquor, drugs and mobile phones. We will look into this matter and take serious steps and actions against those found involved," he said.
Earlier, a purported viral video showed inmates in Parappanna Agrahara Jail, also known as Bengaluru Central jail, enjoying "VVIP treatment" such as getting unauthorised use of mobile phones, TV and such inside the prison. Some of the people allegedly seen in the video were a serial killer on death row, Umesh Reddy, and another inmate, Tarun Raj, who was convicted in a gold smuggling case. An ISIS operative who was brought from Dubai by the National Security Agency (NSA) was also seen using a mobile phone in the prison.