Karnataka sets up SIT to probe sex scandal linked to Revanna

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Sunday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe an alleged sex scandal involving Prajwal Revanna, grandson of JD(S) supremo and former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda and son of former minister H.D. Revanna. The government also filed a case of sexual harassment and stalking against H.D. Revanna. The case was registered in Holenarasipur police station in the district based on a complaint by their cook.

The move came following a letter by the chairperson of Women’s Commission Dr Nagalakshmi Chowdhary to the government after some explicit video clips allegedly involving Prajwal had started making the rounds in Hassan in recent days.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah claimed the police have information that Prajwal has left the country. Prajwal, 33, was the NDA candidate in the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, which went to polls on April 26.

The state women’s commission alleged that as many as 2,876 women were victims of the heinous crime. The complainant said she is a relative of Revanna’s wife Bhavani and alleged that four months after she started working, Revanna started to sexually harass her, and his son Prajwal used to make video calls to her daughter and have “vulgar conversations”. She also alleged that there is a threat to her life as well as other members of her family, commission chairperson said.

Karnataka Pradesh Mahila Congress president Dr Pushpa Amarnath, in a letter to the DGP, alleged that Prajwal shot nude videos of nearly 2,000 women. She claimed that BJP leader from Hassan Devaraje Gowda has the evidence in the form of video clips and had requested BJP not to field Prajwal from Hassan as JDS-BJP consensus nominee. But, his request went unheard.

The three-member SIT of IPS officers is led by the additional director general of police (CID) Bijay Kumar Singh. The other two are assistant inspector general of police Suman D. Pennekar and Mysuru superintendent of police Seema Latkar.

State home minister G. Parameshwara told reporters, “In case he (Prajwal) has gone to the foreign country, SIT will be responsible for bringing him back and continuing the investigation. We will not tell the SIT to do the investigation this or that way.”

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said, “....we are hanging our heads in shame. I saw in the media that he has escaped. This is an unpardonable crime. It is a matter of shame. He is an MP and the grandson of a former prime minister. He represented the same constituency which the former prime minister had represented.”

Meanwhile, through his election agent, Prajwal has lodged a complaint with the authorities that the videos are “doctored” and being circulated to tarnish his image ahead of the elections.

Prajwal’s uncle and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy said that he would like to wait for the facts to come out of the investigation into the ‘sex scandal’ involving his nephew Prajwal, but asserted that there is no question of forgiving anyone who has committed a crime as per law.

The former chief minister said he has nothing to do with Prajwal reportedly leaving the country, and it is the responsibility of the SIT to get him back if required.

Kumaraswamy said, “I have noticed that the Chief Minister has ordered an SIT probe. Whether it is me or Deve Gowda (his father), we have always conducted ourselves respectfully towards women and have responded positively when anyone came with any sufferings. We have tried to address them.”

Speaking to reporters, he said, “The Hassan related issue that started during elections, let the facts come out through a probe. Whoever it is, who has committed the mistake as per the law of the land...there is no question of forgiving anyone who has committed the mistake. So let the facts come out from the probe, after that I will react.”