Bengaluru: The suspended minister Prajwal Revanna, accused of sexually assaulting several women has booked flight to return from Munich to Bengaluru.
More than a month after thousands of USB sticks containing footage of the alleged abuse were circulated in his home state, The Indian Minister who left the country after being accused of sexual assault is scheduled to return this week.
Image source: Bar and Bench
After the videos went viral, The 33-year-old Karnataka Minister Prajwal Revanna, who is running for reelection, used his diplomatic passport to depart India on April 27. He said in a video posted this week on Monday from an unidentified place that he would be returning to India on May 31 to face the police team that was looking into the charges. He has called the claims of sexual assault and rape a “political conspiracy” and denied them.
Two days after the video was posted by Prajwal, Home Minister of Karnataka, G Parameshwara, announced on Wednesday that JD(S) politician Prajwal Revanna will be taken into custody as soon as he lands at the airport in the state.
The police are ready to arrest the JD(S) minister as soon as he lands at Bengaluru‘s Kempegowda International Airport, following the issuance of an arrest warrant earlier this month. Prajwal is scheduled to arrive in Bengaluru early on Friday morning after booking a ticket from Munich on May 30. “He has a Luftansa Airlines ticket booked from Munich to Bengaluru and the flight is scheduled to depart Munich on Thursday (30th May) afternoon and arrive in Bengaluru at 12:05 am on Friday (31st May).”, according to PTI.
Image source: BBC
Prajwal Revanna comes from a very influencial political family as he is the grandson of former Indian prime minister HD Deve Gowda, the head of the state’s politically significant Vokkaliga group. His Janata Dal (Secular), or JD (S) party, is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Cases against Prajwal Revanna
Although Mr. Revanna was initially the target of charges in June of last year, he was able to get a court injunction prohibiting the media from publishing what were called “morphed videos” However, thousands of pen drives were distributed five days prior to the April 26 election in Hassan in public areas like parks and bus stops. They included 2,960 tapes that featured the women’s faces and were reportedly taken by Mr. Revanna personally.
This year, In the initial complaint filed on April 28 at the Holenarasipura Town police station in Hassan, Prajwal is charged with harassing a 47-year-old former maid in a sexual manner. His father, Holenarasipura MLA HD Revanna, is accused number one, and he is named as accused number two. Mr. Revanna is accused of raping her in his official government home between January 1, 2021 and April 25, 2024. She said that the politician had threatened her and her husband with a gun if they did not “obey” him, and that he had used the recording of the abuse on his phone to blackmail her. In his video, Mr. Revanna did not directly address any of these accusations.
On May 1, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) opened the second case in response to a 44-year-old Hassan zilla panchayat member’s allegations that Prajwal had sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions and captured it on camera.
On May 5, a housekeeper filed a complaint accusing the Minister Prajwal Revanna of sexual abuse, leading to the registration of another rape case against the politician.
Prajwal has been booked under IPC sections 376(2)(n) (repeated rape of the same woman), 376(2)(k) (rape by a person in a position of control or dominance), 354B (assault or use of criminal force with intent to disrobe), 354C (voyeurism) and 506 (criminal intimidation). Home Minister G Parameshwara claims that 10–11 persons have been taken into custody by the SIT in relation to the Hassan sex abuse case.
The matter has caused a political rift in Karnataka, with the opposition and the state’s ruling Congress party arguing over who was right to take action against Mr. Revanna when the recordings appeared.
