Sexual Abuse Case Against Prajwal Revanna: What Are Charges Against JDS Leader?

A political storm is brewing in Karnataka after complaints surfaced against the Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal (Secular) candidate in Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, Prajwal Revanna, accusing him of sexually abusing several women.

Pen drives containing explicit videos of women being sexually abused and coerced into sex are being circulated in Hassan, and they allegedly contain visuals of Prajwal Revanna, among other influential politicians.

In a post on X on 27 April, Siddaramaiah said the decision was reportedly taken after the chairperson of the state women's commission wrote a letter to the government, requesting the same, on 25 April.

Fourteen Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka, including Hassan, went to polls on 26 April.

On Sunday, 28 April, a First Information Report (FIR) was filed at the Holenarsipura police station based on a complaint by a 47-year-old woman, who accused Prajwal and his father and Holenarsipura MLA HD Revanna of sexually harassing her and her daughter between January 2019 and January 2022.

The complainant, who claimed that she is a relative of Prajwal Revanna's wife, was also one of his employees.

In the FIR accessed by The Quint, she alleged:

The commission's letter was based on a complaint by the Karnataka Mahila Dourjanya Virodhi Vedike, which alleged that "thousands of innocent women are being used for sexual acts in Hassan; they are being filmed on phones and these videos are being used to blackmail them."

"A Special Investigation Team should be ordered to immediately find those who are harming the dignity and existence of the women," it further stated.

The SIT will be headed by BK Singh, Additional Directorate General Immigration and Passports (DG-IP), the state government said on Sunday. The members include Suman D Pennekar, DG Crime Investigation Department (DG CID), and Seema Latkar, Mysuru Superintendent of Police (SP), as per The News Minute.

The case was registered at Hassan police station under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.

The senior police official told The Quint that only two FIRs have been registered in the case so far – one by the 47-year-old employee and the other by Prajwal.

Last year, too, Prajwal had purportedly filed a complaint against Naveen Gowda and others, making the same allegation.

As per The News Minute, he had obtained an ex-parte injunction from a sessions court against 89 media houses, hindering them from publishing "defamatory" articles against him. 

Meanwhile, in a statement to the media in Shivamogga on Monday, 29 April, HD Kumaraswamy said, as per The Indian Express: "Do not bring my name or Devegowda's name into it as we respect women. We learned about the Revanna issue now and had we known about it earlier, we would have initiated action. The videos have caused embarrassment to the family and society."

Speaking to The Quint, S Prakash, Karnataka BJP spokesperson, said:

The ruling Congres in Karnataka, meanwhile, has questioned the BJP and the JD(S) about giving a ticket to Prajwal Revanna from Hassan.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar demanded answers from the BJP and JD(S). "The Prime minister, BY Vijayendra, Shobakka, Ashok, Kumaranna, and Ashwath Narayan must answer to the people," he said, as per The News Minute.

Home Minister G Parameshwara, as per Hindustan Times, said: "In case he [Prajwal] has gone to a 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."

Meanwhile, a purported letter by BJP leader Devaraj Gowda, written to BJP state president BY Vijayendra on 8 December 2023, has also surfaced, which warned the party against fielding Revanna as a candidate in the Lok Sabha elections.

The letter further stated he received a pen drive with explicit visuals involving Revanna and others, which he claimed could be used as a "brahmastra" against the BJP.  

The letter was shared by Congress leader Pawan Khera in a post on X.

"If we align with the JD(S) and if we nominate a JD(S) candidate in Hassan for the Lok Sabha elections, these videos can be used as a brahmastra and we will be tainted as a party that aligned with the family of a rapist. This will be a big blow to the image of our party nationally," the BJP leader said in the letter, as per The News Minute.

"Why you gave the Hassan parliamentary ticket to a JDS candidate, despite knowing that hundreds of women were abused by the candidate? [sic]," Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge posted on X.

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)