After a photo showing actor Darshan, currently in a Bengaluru prison in connection with murder charges, smoking a cigarette surrounded by three others on a lawn went viral, a video has surfaced showing the jailed Kannada actor on a phone call.
NDTV cannot independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
The latest video opens with a man in a yellow t-shirt smiling at another man on a video call. The second man then walks away with his phone, pointing the camera away from his face, and hands it to someone else. Darshan's face comes on the screen as he cheerily waves at the man. The man gestures towards his mouth, apparently asking if the actor has had anything to eat. A smiling Darshan responds with a nod and after exchanging a few words, both wave goodbye to each other.
The 25-second video shows the actor sitting in a brightly lit room. Behind him large curtains cover the wall and some clothes hang on hooks.
The Kannada actor is among 17 people, including his friend actor Pavithra Gowda, who are in judicial custody in connection with the murder of his fan Renukaswamy.
The 33-year-old fan had allegedly sent obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda, after which he was allegedly beaten to death. His body was found near a stormwater drain in Bengaluru's Sumanahalli on June 9.
On Sunday, a photo purportedly showing the actor on a lawn with three men, including gangster Wilson Garden Naga and his manager, went viral. The video raised suspicion that the actor and his aides are enjoying special facilities inside jail.
The jail authorities have been asked to conduct an internal inquiry.
Renukaswamy's father has demanded a CBI probe and punishment after the photo went viral on social media. "With such things there is a feeling that a CBI probe should happen... Looking at the picture I'm surprised to see him (Darshan) with others holding a cigarette and drinking tea. We get a doubt whether he is in jail or not. Jail should be a jail and should not become something else. He should be treated like other normal prisoners, but here it looks like he seems to be sitting in a resort," he said.