Eleven members of the dreaded ‘Dandupalya’ gang, who are at Hindalga jail in Belagavi, went on a fast on Wednesday, against the release of Dandupalya 2 , alleging that the film would tarnish their image.
They told prison officials that the film, scheduled for release on Friday, was not based on their lives and would show Dandupalya village in a bad light.
Seven of the convicts are on death row, while four, including a woman, are serving life sentence. The Bengaluru police had charged them with murder, rape and dacoity, a decade ago.
The gang has written to Director General of Police (Prisons) H.N. Sathyanarayana Rao requesting him to ask the government to stop the movie release. “They told us that they are asking their lawyer to write to the High Court,” jail Superintendent T.P. Shesha told The Hindu .
The gang members also claim that the film crew never consulted them despite several requests. Its prequel, Dandupalya , starring Makarand Deshpande, was a hit five years ago. But, the gang claims the 2012 film showed brutal acts like rape and murder that they never committed.
Gang leader Krishna, in his letter to senior officials, said Dandupalya, a quaint hamlet in rural Bengaluru, would be branded as a settlement of thieves, if the sequel is released.
As of now, the inmates have not received any reply from the government, Mr. Shesha said.
The gang
The Dandupalya gang members gained notoriety for their gruesome crimes where their victims were hit with crowbars and robbed. They were migrants from Andhra Pradesh and had set up camp outside Dandupalya village near Hoskote in Bengaluru rural.
