Former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa is prisoner number 10964 at Central Prison, Parapanna Agrahara.
An undertrial, Yeddyurappa arrived at the prison at 5.55 pm on Saturday after his bail plea was rejected by the Lokayukta court.
On arrival, he was given a clean bill of health after a medical check. He was sent to the exclusive high security cell in the newly inaugurated wing No. 3, where he has former BBMP corporator Katta Jagadeesh, Itasca MD, S.V. Sreenivasa and latest addition, former BJP MLA S.N. Krishnaiah Setty for company. Setty was arrested hours before BSY in the same case.
Confusion reigned as some reported that BSY was given home food while others said he was served prison ‘oota’ (meals) at 8 pm.
His room has an attached toilet, no TV set and a thin mattress, officials said. Eight armed security men will guard the former CM.
BJP MASCOT BEHIND BARS
In a move that is going to be hard for the BJP to live down, B.S. Yeddyurappa became the first BJP leader to head a saffron government in Karnataka to be jailed on charges of corruption after the Lokayukta court issued an arrest warrant when he failed to show up in court on Saturday morning, citing poor health.
Remanded to judicial custody till October 22, which he may decide against appealing to gain sympathy, the “surrender” brought to an end, the cat and mouse game that the BJP’s poster boy in the south has played with authorities ever since corruption charges were filed by his bete noire, JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy in January this year.
Even as not one of his supporters, barring Belur Gopalkrishna and his immediate family were present when he finally surrendered, his supporters in the party believe his incarceration and the forthcoming legal battle which will see him brought to court like a common criminal, could gain him enormous sympathy within the Lingayat community even as he runs the danger of destroying his carefully built reputation as the giant-killer for the party in election after election.
“The BJP has now lost its mascot, after losing its banker, the Reddys, it’s a double blow,” a party insider said.
In fact, tensions ran high outside former chief minister’s Race Course Road residence when the Lokayukta court issued a warrant to arrest him after his advocates, in a clear bid to ensure that BSY evades arrest, told the Lokayukta court that the former BJP leader was taking rest at home and would be unable to attend court till Tuesday.
Two teams were immediately despatched to execute the warrant. Both teams returned to the court at around 4.15 pm empty-handed.
A Lokayukta police team headed by DySP went to the former CM's Race Course Road residence, armed with the warrant issued by the Lokayukta special court at around 3.10 pm, going from room to room, only to find the house deserted. The DySP and his team left an hour later. The other team which went to BSY’s Dollars Colony house too came out empty-handed.
Sources said BSY exited his residence in a hurry once the court issued a warrant for his arrest.
Sources said the BJP leader was intent on avoiding the ignominy of arrest and chose instead, to surrender before the court.
Had he not surrendered, Lokayukta police would have reported his unavailability in known addresses to the court, which could have led to further embarrassment, sources said.