Prajwal Revanna, the Hassan MP who had been absconding since he left the country on April 27, finally landed at Kempegowda International Airport (T2) in Bengaluru at 12.52 am on Friday amid a thick security cover, including officers from a special investigation team (SIT). He was arrested as soon as he landed via a Lufthansa flight (LH0764), which flew in from Munich.
The suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader was accosted by a team of CISF, SIT, and Karnataka police officials from the flight to a vehicle by about 1.07 am. Wearing an ash-grey hooded jacket and track pants, the rather composed-looking Prajwal was swiftly moved into the police vehicle waiting by the airport that took him to the CID headquarters in the city and the SIT office within. He would later be taken to Bowring Hospital for a medical examination and then be produced before a magistrate for legal procedures to be completed.
There was increased security deployment across the Bengaluru international terminal where the flight landed and across the city along the route he was taken by the police.
Prajwal was taken to the SIT office from the airport with zero traffic clearance in just 20 minutes and then authorities began the formalities of his official arrest.
Armed with documents and statements by several women who allege they have been sexually abused, assaulted, and intimidated by the lawmaker, the SIT is expected to interrogate Prajwal on what is being termed as one of the biggest scandals to have rocked Karnataka politics. Pen drives allegedly containing over 3,000 video clips of victims being sexually exploited, which allegedly the MP shot on his phone, were circulated, causing this scandal to break out. The victims included domestic staff in the Revanna household, party workers, and government officials, according to police sources.
The SIT was set up by the Karnataka government to probe the allegations, while an arrest warrant and an Interpol blue corner notice were issued against Prajwal after three women complained to the investigators of sexual abuse by the suspended JD(S) leader.
Prajwal, the grandson of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda and the son of former Karnataka minister HD Revanna, fled the country a day after the Lok Sabha seat he is seeking re-election from, Hassan, went to 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 is likely to be heard along with the one filed by Prajwal’s mother Bhavani. She too had moved the courts for anticipatory bail in a kidnapping case. The allegations of sexual harassment against Prajwal and his father HD Revanna took a grave turn with two FIRs being filed, accusing them of rape and kidnapping. HD Revanna, who had not appeared before the SIT despite several summonses, was arrested from his father Deve Gowda’s home in Bengaluru’s Padmanabhanagar 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 left its partner embarrassed. The BJP has remained tight-lipped about the matter, only stating that a probe should be conducted to find out the truth.
Just days before Hassan went to polls, it is alleged that several pen drives loaded with videos of an obscene nature were distributed across the constituency, featuring the MP and several women whom he allegedly exploited.
On April 28, a day after Prajwal left India on his diplomatic passport, a first information report (FIR) was filed in Holenarsipura by a former house help of the Revanna household who accused the MP of molestation. The same day, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah announced the formation of the SIT to probe the case and the allegations. On May 1, Siddaramaiah wrote his first letter to the Centre seeking the cancellation of Prajwal’s passport so that he could be brought back to India for investigation. The same day, another victim and JD(S) worker accused Prajwal of raping her by threatening her with dire consequences if she spoke about the episode.
On May 2, a son of one of the victims filed a case of kidnapping and criminal intimidation against Prajwal’s father, HD Revanna, alleging that his mother was kidnapped by the family and kept captive in their farmhouse. This victim’s video begging Prajwal to spare her went viral on social media and was also taken as part of the SIT’s investigation into the arrests. The woman escaped from captivity and later told the police that she was told she was being held there as the authorities were looking for her in a case of “bogus voting”. After her escape, she filed a case of rape with the SIT.
On May 30, the SIT arrested two persons 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 apologising to his family and the JD(S) workers. In the video, Prajwal claimed that after the scandal broke, which he called a political conspiracy to defame him, he went into “depression and isolation”. This self-shot video was released from an unknown location after a stern warning was issued by Deve Gowda to Prajwal Revanna, stating that he should return to India, cooperate with the SIT, and let the truth come out — or face his anger and isolation from the family.
“This is not an appeal I am making. It is a warning that I am issuing. If he does not heed this warning, he will have to face my anger and the anger of all his family members,” said the former PM in his letter addressed to Prajwal Revanna.
“Wherever you are, come back and face the inquiry. I request him not to avoid it. If you have not done anything wrong, why are you afraid? You will have to fight it out,” said JD(S) leader and Prajwal’s uncle HD Kumaraswamy, who has been in battle mode to protect the image of the party.
Kumaraswamy also spoke of how his father and Prajwal’s grandfather, Deve Gowda, had dedicated his entire political career to the young MP’s political growth, and the onus was on the latter, as a mark of respect to his grandfather and the JD(S) workers, to return to India.
Prajwal, in his video, stated that he would appear before the SIT on May 31 and lay out the truth in front of the investigators. He stated that his trip abroad was a planned one, and when he left, there was no instance of an SIT or case against him.
“Some powers got together and hatched a political conspiracy against me. Because I am growing in politics and they want to bring me down…for that, all of them came together. When I saw all this, I was further disturbed and I only stayed away and went into depression and isolation. I don’t want anyone to feel I have wronged them,” said Prajwal in a two-minute video clip that has been widely shared on social media.
Siddaramaiah had written two letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking the Centre’s intervention to cancel the diplomatic passport used by Prajwal to leave the country and help the SIT bring the accused MP to India for questioning.
A massive protest was held on May 30 in Hassan called Hassan Chalo, which included academics, activists, intellectuals, and others, who took to the streets seeking justice for the victims of abuse in the Prajwal Revanna case as well as against the family of Deve Gowda, whom the demonstrators accused of caste discrimination, sexual assault, misuse of power, and other crimes in the district for several decades.
“The family is considered by some as the kings of Hassan and they have been for generations and decades misusing their political power, money, and influence. They believe that they can do anything, say anything, and get away with it. We have gathered here in Maharaja Park to say that this is not some park of the kings, but a place where people are demanding justice,” said former MP Subhashini Ali, who is also a leading women’s rights activist.
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