Karnataka sex-gate
Bengaluru, May 3: More trouble is brewing for NDA’s Hassan Lok Sabha constituency candidate Prajwal Revanna and his father H D Revanna, facing sexual abuse allegations, after two more FIRs were registered against them.
So far, three FIRs have been registered against them in Hassan, Mysuru and Bengaluru.
A rape case has been filed against Prajwal, the JD(S)-BJP alliance candidate for Hassan Lok Sabha, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Friday.
Meanwhile, Revanna on Friday opted to withdraw his bail application in a Bengaluru sessions court. He moved the court after a case of molestation was registered against him and his son Prajwal.
The grandson of former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda and the party MP from Hassan, 33-year-old Prajwal is facing allegations of sexually abusing women after scores of explicit video clips started making the rounds in recent days.
The Karnataka government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case following a complaint by the State Commission for Women chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhary.
Prajwal is the NDA candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha seat where polling was held on April 26. JD(S) joined the NDA in September last year.
The JD(S) leadership has suspended Prajwal from the party.
The FIR by the CID in Bengaluru on Wednesday is based on a complaint by a JD(S) party worker, who alleged she was raped by Prajwal at gunpoint. He later made a video of her and blackmailed the woman saying he would make it viral if she did not fulfill his lust whenever he demanded.
The second FIR was registered in Mysuru on Thursday night against Prajwal’s father Revanna and his confidant Sathish Babanna for allegedly abducting a woman five days ago.
The complainant said six years ago his mother worked at Revanna’s residence in Holenarasipura and had quit the job and returned to her hometown three years back. The complaint claimed that about five days ago, Revanna’s confidant Babanna came to his house and said police may come to them for an inquiry and told them they should not reveal anything.
“On April 29 at about 9 pm, Sathish Babanna came to our house and said if your mother is caught then you will be in trouble and you may all go to jail. Revanna has asked me to take you. He then took him on a motorcycle,” the complainant said.
He said he had no clue where his mother had been taken away.
However, on May 1, he said he received a call from his friends who told him that a video had surfaced which showed her allegedly tied and raped by Prajwal.
The complainant claimed there was a threat to his mother’s life and sought police help to find out where she was.
Police have arrested Babanna and are interrogating him in connection with the case, police sources said.
Earlier, a case of molestation was registered against Revanna and his son based on a complaint by their cook. She even complained that Prajwal made video calls to her daughter and tried to have a nasty chat with her.
In view of many women allegedly being tortured by Prajwal and his father based on the number of videos circulating in the social media, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said he has directed police to identify, trace and secure all the victims.
The Chief Minister said the BJP committed a mistake with regard to Prajwal Revanna.
“Both the BJP and the JD(S) knew about Prajwal Revanna’s videos. Prajwal’s case is not just sexual harassment. He has raped women. A rape case has been registered (against him),” Siddaramaiah told reporters in Bagalkote. (PTI)