Bengaluru, Aug 2
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) Cyber Crime Wing police have arrested two persons and taken another person into custody in connection with the case of vulgar messages and videos posted by actor Darshan's fans against Kannada actress and former MP Ramya, police sources stated on Saturday.
Darshan is the second accused in the fan murder case, and the Supreme Court has reserved its verdict on an appeal challenging the grant of bail to him.
The fans of Darshan had targeted Ramya for sharing a post on the case in the top court and commenting that justice should be served.
The police have also launched hunt for others in the case. The arrested persons hailed from Ballary and Chitradurga cities of Karnataka. More details are yet to emerge regarding the development. The accused had threatened Ramya of rape.
Ramya had filed a complaint with Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh on July 28 evening against actor Darshan’s fans for sending obscene and defamatory messages following her remarks on the fan murder case.
Speaking to the media after filing the complaint, Ramya had said, “I shared news about the Supreme Court's development regarding actor Darshan's bail petition to give hope to common people about justice. After that, the trolling began. I have filed this complaint as a voice for women.”
“I have lodged a complaint against 43 social media accounts. Some of them even threatened me with rape. If this can happen to me, what about others? Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh has assured me of action and has transferred the case to the Cyber Crime Wing. Women have the same freedom as men. Actor Darshan should have asked his fans not to post such messages,” she added.
“As celebrities and public figures, we must follow the law and set an example for others. Earlier, superstars Yash and Kichcha Sudeep were also targeted online. I had raised the issue back then too. Had action been taken earlier, things might not have escalated to this level,” she said.
Ramya further pointed out that many of the accused used fake profiles with women's names and posted indecent photos. She said she has received support from the film industry, but many women are afraid to speak out due to fear of character assassination.
In her complaint Ramya stated, "The disgruntled fans of actor Darshan, for this act of mine of sharing the news reporting of the Supreme Court proceedings, have sent scandalous, ghastly and obnoxious messages to my Instagram handle through various accounts. The messages sent to me are so disgusting and misogynistic that I am unable to even reproduce the same in the complaint."
Meanwhile, Film Industry for Rights and Equality (FIRE) organisation has submitted letter to Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara demanding immediate action against vulgar and misogynistic social media abuse targeting actor and former MP Ramya.
Reacting to the vulgar messages and videos posted by actor Darshan's fans against Kannada actress and former MP Ramya, the Karnataka State Women’s Commission had also urged Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh to take action in the matter.
