Darshan case: Photo of child in prisoner's dress on social media; child rights body seeks action

Bengaluru: Taking a strong view of a photo of a child on a social media platform dressed like a jail inmate with a prisoner number 6106 — suggesting Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) on Wednesday directed the cyber crime police to take action in the matter.

Darshan, his friend Pavithra Gowda and 15 others are currently in the Central jail at Parappana Agrahara here in connection with the Renukaswamy murder case.

The photo of the baby, with hand-written slip ‘Jai D. Boss’ pasted next to it — an apparent reference to Darshan — was shared by an Instagram user, who said it is “trending”.

In a letter to the Cyber Crime Division of the Criminal Investigation Department, the KSCPCR Chairperson K Naganna Gowda said action should be taken against those responsible for sharing the photographs.

“We don’t even call children as accused or criminals even when they do something wrong unknowingly. We call them ‘children involved in legal fight’. Such effects should not befall on children,” Gowda said in his letter.

“Instead of providing a good atmosphere for children we should not thrust our love or blind love for someone on them,” he said.