Darshan case: Darshan Thoogudeepa, popularly known as "Challenging Star", Pavithra Gowda and 11 of his close associates were arrested for the murder of 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor. A native of Chitradurga, was allegedly murdered for harassing Pavithra Gowda on social media. Renukaswamy was asked to near a Mysuru farmhouse owned by Darshan, who is a close friend of Pavithra.
1. On June 20, a court in Bengaluru extended the police custody of the Kannada actor and others till June 20. As reported by PTI, the advocates of Darshan and others requested the court to send them to judicial custody, however, the investigation team requested the court that crucial evidence and equipment used to torture the deceased needs to be recovered and hence extend the police custody.
2. In another development, police officers aware of the matter informed Hindustan Times about forensic evidence which revealed the severity of the brutal assault of Ramaswamy. The officer told HT that the 33-year-old sustained 15 grievous injuries all over his body including his head, abdomen and chest. Moreover, they added that “Renukaswamy’s head was forcefully rammed into a vehicle, leading to a severe injury that eventually contributed to his death,” HT reported.
3. Earlier police sources had told PTI that, “Darshan beat up Renukaswamy with a belt. After he fell unconscious, his accomplices thrashed him with sticks. Further, they threw him against a wall, which proved fatal, as he suffered multiple bone fractures" they said, adding, that after the killing, his body was dumped in a storm-water drain in the Kamakshipalya area of the city.”
4. They also informed the agency that one of the accused, Raghavendra, who belongs to Darshan's fan club in Chitradurga, had lured Renukaswamy to a shed in R R Nagar, claiming that Darshan wished to meet him. Allegedly, it was in this shed that Renukaswamy was tortured and killed.
5. They added that Renukaswamy purportedly commented on Pavithra's social media account and accused her of causing a rift between the actor and his wife. They further stated that he allegedly used "indecent language" and posted offensive messages.
6. On Saturday, reports also stated that a delegation from the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) visited the victim's family and provided them with ₹5 lakh as compensation. "We have gone to convey our condolences personally and also to tell the family how apologetic the industry is about what happened to Renukaswamy. We also told them that we will stand with them in future too," N M Suresh, president of KFCC said as quoted by PTI.
7. Meanwhile, the Kannada film fraternity is still hesitant to either condemn publicly or come in support of the star. Actor-producer-policitian Ramya aka Divya Spandana’s called him a ‘habitual offender’, reverberates louder. Speaking of the influence Darshan holds, Sapndana in a recent interview to a television channel claimed that the clout being attributed to him is overrated. “In the past he did, but I don’t think he does anymore the way we are hyping him up. For example, he campaigned for a couple of candidates in the last election and all of them lost. So, I don't think, just because you see people standing outside the police station, it doesn’t mean he has that kind of clout,” she said as quoted by PTI.
8. Another actor, Sanjjana Galrani, voiced her support for the star, asserting that he is merely an accused and not the culprit. Speaking to a YouTube channel, Galrani expressed her shock upon learning about the arrest through Instagram. She described June 12 as a "black day" for the Kannada film industry and cautioned against rushing to conclusions, and said, “It’s very early to jump the gun. When something like this happens with a celebrity if there is a 5% allegation, it becomes a 500% allegation,” she added as quoted by PTI.
9. Additionally, amidst the ongoing case, a political controversy erupted when Karnataka BJP leader C P Yogeshwar claimed that Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and his brother had planned to field Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa as the Congress candidate in the upcoming Channapatna Assembly bypoll. This bypoll was necessitated after the segment became vacant following the election of its representative, JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, to the Lok Sabha.
10. Reports indicate that in 2011, Darshan was arrested by police on allegations of assaulting his wife and making threats against her. He was subsequently released on bail, and the couple later reconciled, leading to the withdrawal of the case against him.
(With inputs from PTI)
