Prajwal Revanna, the Hassan MP who absconded since leaving the country on April 27, finally landed at the Kempegowda International Airport (T2) in Bengaluru at 12.52 pm on Friday amid a thick security cover, including officers from the special investigation team (SIT). . ). He was arrested as soon as he landed on Lufthansa flight (LH0764), which flew from Munich.
The suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader was dragged by a team of CISF, SIT, and Karnataka police officials from the plane to the vehicle at around 1.07 am. Dressed in a gray hooded jacket and track pants, the slightly compact Prajwal was moved to a police vehicle waiting at the airport which took him to the CID headquarters in the city and the SIT office inside. He will later be taken to Bowring Hospital for a medical examination and then appear before a judge to complete the legal process.
There has been increased security deployment at the Bengaluru international terminal where the plane landed and passed through the city along the route with police in place.
Prajwal was brought to the SIT office from the airport with zero traffic in just 20 minutes and then the authorities started the official arrest formalities.
Armed with documents and statements from several women who say they have been harassed, assaulted and intimidated by the MP, the SIT is expected to interrogate Prajwal in what it says is one of the biggest scandals to rock Karnataka politics. A pen drive allegedly containing more than 3,000 video clips of victims being sexually exploited, which MPs allegedly shot on their phones, was distributed, sparking the scandal. The victims included domestic staff in Revanna’s household, party workers, and government officials, according to police sources.
An SIT was set up by the Karnataka government to investigate the allegations, while an arrest warrant and an Interpol blue-edge notice were issued against Prajwal after three women complained to investigators about sexual abuse by the suspended JD(S) leader.
Prajwal, grandson of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda and son of former Karnataka minister HD Revanna, fled the country a day after the Lok Sabha seat he is seeking re-election, Hassan, went to the polls on April 26.
Prajwal had moved for anticipatory bail, but this was rejected by a special court in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Another bail application will be heard along with the one filed by Prajwal’s mother Bhavani. He has also moved the court for anticipatory bail in the kidnapping case. Allegations of sexual harassment against Prajwal and his father HD Revanna replaced two FIRs filed, accusing him of rape and kidnapping. HD Revanna, who has not appeared before the SIT despite several summons, was arrested from his father Deve Gowda’s house in Padmanabhanagar in Bengaluru on May 4 and later released on conditional bail.
The JD(S), which is in alliance with the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, has put its partner to shame. The BJP has remained silent on the matter, saying only that an inquiry should be conducted to find out the truth.
Just a few days before Hassan went to the polls, it is alleged that several pen drives loaded with indecent videos were distributed in the constituency, which featured the MP and several women allegedly being exploited.
On April 28, a day after Prajwal left India on a diplomatic passport, a first information report (FIR) was filed in Holenarsipura by a former domestic help from the Revanna household accusing the MP of molestation. On the same day, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced the formation of an SIT to investigate the case and the allegations. On May 1, Siddaramaiah wrote his first letter to the Center seeking cancellation of Prajwal’s passport so that he can be brought back to India for investigation. The same day, another victim and a JD(S) worker accused Prajwal of raping her by threatening consequences if she spoke about the episode.
On May 2, the son of one of the victims filed a case of abduction and criminal intimidation against Prajwal’s father, HD Revanna, alleging that his mother was abducted by the family and kept in a farmhouse. This video of the victim begging Prajwal to save her went viral on social media and was also captured as part of the SIT investigation into the arrest. The woman escaped from captivity and later told the police that she was told that she was being held there because the authorities were looking for her in a “fake election” case. After she escaped, she filed a rape case with the SIT.
On May 30, the SIT arrested two men from Hassan, identified as Naveen Gowda and Chetan, for allegedly distributing pen drives containing obscene videos.
Prajwal, who had initially on May 1 claimed through his lawyer that he would appear before the SIT within seven days, failed to do so. Exactly a month later, he released a video apologizing to his family and JD(S) workers. In the video, Prajwal claimed that after the scandal broke, which he called a political conspiracy to destroy him, he became “depressed and isolated”. The self-shot video was released from an unknown location after Deve Gowda issued a stern warning to Prajwal Revanna, stating that he must return to India, cooperate with the SIT, and let the truth come out – or face anger and isolation. from the family.
“This is not my appeal. This is my warning. If he ignores this warning, he will have to face the wrath and anger of all his family members,” the former PM said in a letter addressed to Prajwal Revanna.
“Wherever you are, come back and face the investigation. I begged him not to avoid it. If you haven’t done anything wrong, why are you afraid? You have to fight back,” said JD(S) leader and Prajwal’s uncle HD Kumaraswamy, who has been in battle mode to protect the party’s image.
Kumaraswamy also spoke about how Prajwal’s father and grandfather, Deve Gowda, had devoted his entire political career to the young MP’s political growth, and the responsibility was there, as a mark of respect for his grandfather and JD(S) workers. , to return to India.
Prajwal, in the video, said that he will appear before the SIT on May 31 and reveal the truth in front of the investigators. He said that his trip abroad was planned, and when he left, there was no SIT case or case against him.
“Some powers gathered and made a political conspiracy against me. Because I grew up in politics and they wanted to bring me down… for that, they all came together. When I saw all this, I was more disturbed and I just stayed away and became depressed and quiet. I don’t want anyone to feel that I have done something wrong,” said Prajwal in a two-minute video clip that has been shared on social media.
Siddaramaiah has written two letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking the Centre’s intervention to cancel the diplomatic passport Prajwal used to leave the country and help the SIT bring the accused MP to India for questioning.
A large-scale protest was held on May 30 in Hassan called Hassan Chalo, which included academics, activists, intellectuals, and others, who took to the streets to seek justice for the victims of abuse in the case of Prajwal Revanna as well as the Deve family. Gowda, accused by protesters of caste discrimination, sexual assault, abuse of power, and other crimes in the district for decades.
“The family is considered by some to be king Hassan and has spent generations and decades abusing political power, money, and influence. They believe they can do anything, say anything, and get away with it. We have gathered in Maharaja’s Park to say that this is not the garden of kings, but a place where justice is demanded,” said former MP Subhashini Ali, who is also a women’s rights activist.
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