'Eyewitness' says in video clip Darshan assaulted waiter

Mysuru: Battle lines seem to have been drawn between Sandalwood's Challenging Star Darshan and journalist-turned-film director Indrajit Lankesh in the hotel waiter assault case.

On Saturday, plot thickened in the case as a video of an eyewitness to the alleged assault at Hotel Sandesh The Prince, Mysuru, a few days ago, claiming that the incident did take place, went viral. The alleged eyewitness was identified as Sameer, another waiter at the hotel, from Bihar. He who earlier feigned ignorance of Kannada to media persons, spoke fluently in the language on Saturday on the video clip.

In the video, said to be a sting operation, Sameer who was alleged eyewitness to the incident, said that on the night of June 24 Darshan was partying near the swimming pool in the hotel. Darshan assaulted the waiter, identified as Gangadhar, when he did not bring an item ordered by the actor. Sameer was seen claiming that the waiter was crying in pain after Darshan hit him on the cheek and ear. Darshan also abused the waiters and the owner of the and threw money in the air, according to the video.

Soon after the video clip went viral, Indrajit Lankesh, in an obvious gesture of goodwill, called up Darshan to apologise for the unpalatable incidents over the past few days causing damage to his image. But, the actor in an angry reaction, challenged Indrajit to release "the documentary evidence" against him if he has guts. Speaking to reporters in his farm house on Saturday, Darshan said that he was never afraid for sting operations. Darshan also blasted film producer Umapathy for 'diverting' the Rs 25-crore fake surety case by saying that he asked Umapathy to sell him the property he bought for Rs two crore from the family of the thespian Dr Raj Kumar. He said he was not such a big person as to buy "Doddamane" (Raj Kumar family) property. "I worked as a light boy under the Dr Raj banner, earning a paltry Rs 175 daily. He said his father also came from the Doddamane banner.

The actor has been in news for the past few days after a woman and her two friends allegedly tried to extort Rs 25 lakh from his friends accusing him of furnishing fake property documents for a loan of Rs 25 crore from a bank. The woman was arrested.

Soon after this incident, Indrajit Lankesh came before media persons and accused the actor of assaulting a Dalit waiter in Hotel Sandesh. The owner of the hotel denied that the actor had beaten up the waiter.