A video from Bengaluru’s high-security Parappana Agrahara Central Prison shows inmates partying with alcohol, sparking outrage over security failures. This is not the first such incident at the facility.
Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, one of Karnataka’s most secure jails, has once again found itself in the middle of a storm. A new video that surfaced on social media shows inmates turning their barracks into a party zone, complete with alcohol, food, and makeshift music.
The clip, reportedly shot inside the Bengaluru Central Prison, shows prisoners laughing, dancing, and using plates and mugs as drums. Disposable glasses filled with liquor, plates of fried peanuts, and cut fruits can be seen arranged on the floor as the inmates celebrate, shouting and cheering to the rhythm of clanging utensils.
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The video, shared widely on Sunday, has sparked outrage and renewed questions about how such blatant violations continue inside a high-security facility.
Not the First Time for Bengaluru Prison
This isn’t an isolated case. Just weeks ago, videos from the same jail showed high-profile inmates, including serial rapist Umesh Reddy and alleged Islamic State handler Juhad Hamid Shakil Manna, freely using mobile phones and watching television inside their cells.
Some of those clips, reportedly recorded last year, had already exposed serious lapses in surveillance and control. The latest one only adds to the list of embarrassing security breaches at the Parappana Agrahara prison.
Home Minister Warns: ‘Enough Is Enough’
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara didn’t mince words this time. Condemning the repeated lapses, he said the state government will take “stringent action” against the officials responsible, including senior jail officers.
“If the report is not satisfactory, I will constitute a committee to investigate the matter. We will take action against the officials concerned. Enough is enough,” Parameshwara said.
He admitted that while the government had already approved the installation of CCTVs and mobile jammers inside prisons, implementation has been slow. “Despite repeated incidents from Parappana Agrahara jail, the problem persists,” he added.
Officials Under Pressure
Following the outrage, ADGP (Prisons) B Dayananda has ordered a high-level probe to trace how liquor, food, and mobile phones entered the jail and whether staff were involved. Additional IGP (Prisons) PV Anand Reddy also visited the facility to assess the situation firsthand.
A senior officer from the prison department called it a “major security lapse,” warning that mobile phone access poses grave risks — especially with terror suspects in custody. “A single phone can connect inmates to handlers of banned groups or even help them radicalise others,” the officer said.
A Jail with a Troubled Reputation
The Bengaluru Central Prison has a long history of controversy. From reports of actor Darshan Thoogudeepa using mobile phones and smoking on the lawns to videos of gold smuggling case accused Tarun Raju using a phone earlier this year — the prison’s reputation for misconduct only seems to deepen with time.