The Karnataka government had formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on April 27 to investigate allegations against Prajwal after nearly 3,000 explicit videos allegedly involving him appeared on social media. The SIT has filed a case against five people including Prajwal’s father HD Revanna. HD Revanna remains out on conditional bail. Notably, on May 19, a special court for MPs and MLAs in Bengaluru had issued an arrest warrant against Revanna. The Interpol had also issued a ‘Blue Corner Notice’ to find out where he was after a request from the SIT through the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). At present, a total of three cases of sexual assault have been registered by three women against Prajwal Revanna.

As per a report of Hindustan Times, the members of the SIT probing the sexual assault case had sent an all-women police team to camp out at the airport the entire night and then arrest Revanna. Upon his arrival in India, the SIT team confiscated two of his check-in baggage and took him into custody.

#WATCH | ‘Obscene videos’ case | JD(S) suspended MP Prajwal Revanna brought to the CID office in Bengaluru. pic.twitter.com/ZVnkJoNEnK

— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2024

Multiple media report has suggested that once the accused is presented before the special magistrate within 24 hours of his arrest, the SIT is planning to subject the politician to a potency test. As per the report of Indian Express, voice samples and other attributes, including DNA, are likely to be collected, according to sources.

It is also essential to note that the SIT has also issued a notice to Prajwal’s mother Bhavani Revanna for questioning on June 1. According to the news agency, Revanna’s mother is not an accused in the case but SIT might probe her role. Her anticipatory bail will also be coming up for hearing today in the special court along with Prajwal Revanna’s anticipatory bail plea.

Brief background of the case:

Electronic devices like pen drives and CDs had emerged in the public domain on April 21, ahead of the April 26 Hassan parliament poll, which had suggested that Prajwal Revanna, the Hassan MP, had allegedly carried out sexual assaults on several women in Hassan and recorded the attacks on his phone camera. It is to be noted that as many as 2,900 files with videos and images of the sexual encounters of the MP were found in the pen drives that were leaked. A helpline had also been set up by the SIT to report incidents of attack by the MP.

The first FIR was registered against Revanna on April 28 after a woman who worked in his household filed a complaint of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation against him. The MP, who is seeking re-election from Hassan, had said in a video message earlier this week that he would present himself before the SIT at 10 am on Friday, May 31.

Related:

Federation of Karnataka State People’s Movements to protest against Prajwal Revanna sexual abuse case on May 30

Prajwal Revanna sexual violence case: Arrest warrant against Revanna issued by court, JD(S) decries political conspiracy

JD(S) leader HD Revanna, accused of allegedly kidnapping a survivor of sexual assault by son Prajwal Revanna, granted bail

NDA candidate Prajwal Revanna accused of sexually exploiting and videotaping thousands of women

The post Absconding Prajwal Revanna arrested from Bengaluru airport in early hours on May 31, SIT to seek potency test appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Tagged the #HassanChalo march, it featured the banner ‘Namma Nadege, Hassana Kadega’ (Our march towards Hassan). The rally witnessed a wide scale participation of citizens, artists, activists, and intellectuals. People from neighbouring districts such as Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangeluru, Ballari, and Chikkamagaluru also participated in the march. The march was joined by various civil society groups working on human rights, minorities, gender, Dalits etc.  Amidst demands for strong actions against the perpetrators, the leaders in the rally also demanded that those who had distributed the pen drives with videos reportedly made by Revanna should be also arrested for “putting to auction women’s honour.”

Hundreds of women from all over the #Karnataka state, along with activists participated in the massive #HassanChalo Protest Rally in Hassan, against rape-accused #Hassan MP #PrajwalRevanna, demanding his arrest and justice for the women whom he allegedly assaulted and filmed. pic.twitter.com/NMmESGdovt

— Surya Reddy (@jsuryareddy) May 30, 2024

#Karnataka: The ‘Hassan Chalo’ march is to begin from Maharaja Park to Old Taluka office.

A number of organisations have gathered in #Hassan that includes women, farmers, students, gender minorities, writers, intellectuals, artists, and retired government officers to protest… pic.twitter.com/TWJ0PsMkjR

— South First (@TheSouthfirst) May 30, 2024

South First reported Subhashini Ali, former MP from CPI (M) and All India Democratic Women’s Association vice-president, demanding for ‘no bail, only jail. Ali also highlighted how victims are being intimidated in the aftermath of the news hitting the light, “The power play here has been created to abuse and scare women and deny justice to them. We and the citizens of the country has to break this alliance of patriarchy, feudalism, sexual abuse and political power.”

The protests blocked the main road after the DC Sathyabhama failed to turn up to collect the memorandum by the protestors. However, after they blocked the main road and launched a protest outside Hassan DC office, Hassan ADC KT Shantala turned up to collect their memorandum.

Some of the issues that the protestors have included are demands for the protection of victims exploited by Revanna, recognition that their privacy, safety and dignity was violated. Secondly, they demanded that steps be taken to find and destroy all related media. Along with that, they demanded the cancellation of Prajwal Revanna’s diplomatic passport and criticised the central government for its inaction and political interference. The protest also called for an impartial investigation to take place that treats the victims with sensitivity.

The Janata Dal (Secular) MP Prajwal Revanna was been found accused of grievous crimes, including rape, sexual harassment, outraging modesty after graphic and even violent videos of him sexually harassing women went viral in the constituency. An SIT was formed for investigation in the case which reportedly has almost 3000 women who are victims. A day before his return to India on May 30, Revanna who fled to Germany just shortly after the accusations flared on April 26, had filed for anticipatory bail on May 29. This was filed shortly after two of the prime accused who had distributed the pen drives were arrested by the police. As of now, Revanna’s father and JD(S) leader and MLA HD Revanna has also been released on bail despite being accused of kidnapping and intimidating a victim. He has also, like his son, been accused of sexual harassment

Related:

Federation of Karnataka State People’s Movements to protest against Prajwal Revanna sexual abuse case on May 30

Prajwal Revanna sexual violence case: Arrest warrant against Revanna issued by court, JD(S) decries political conspiracy

JD(S) leader HD Revanna, accused of allegedly kidnapping a survivor of sexual assault by son Prajwal Revanna, granted bail

NDA candidate Prajwal Revanna accused of sexually exploiting and videotaping thousands of women

Report card: BJP and crimes against women

The post #HassanChalo: Thousands protest demanding justice for the victims of Prajwal Revanna in Karnataka appeared first on SabrangIndia.

What is the Prajwal Revanna sexual abuse case?

Electronic devices like pen drives and CDs had emerged in the public domain on April 21, ahead of the April 26 Hassan parliament poll, which had suggested that Prajwal Revanna, the Hassan MP, had allegedly carried out sexual assaults on several women in Hassan and recorded the attacks on his phone camera. It is to be noted that as many as 2,900 files with videos and images of the sexual encounters of the MP were found in the pen drives that were leaked. A helpline had also been set up by the SIT to report incidents of attack by the MP. At present, a total of three cases of sexual assault have been registered by three women against Prajwal Revanna.

On May 13, JD(S) leader and Karnataka Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) HD Revanna was granted conditional bail by Bengaluru court. The said bail was granted by the Special court in connection with a kidnapping case linked to sexual abuse allegation against him and his son Prajwal. The said MLA had spent after seven days in jail after four-day police custody.  While granting bail, Judge Santhosh Gajanana Bhat had imposed conditions that required the accused to furnish a bond for Rs 5 lakh, along with two sureties. In addition to this, H D Revanna has been barred from leaving the country, entering KR Nagar in Mysuru district, and interacting with the witnesses. He has also been asked to cooperate with the SIT investigation.

A special court on May 18 had issued an arrest warrant against Prajwal. Notably, till now, three FIRs had been filed against him in cases related to alleged sexual abuse. On May 27, absconding Prajwal Revanna had released a video stating that he will be appearing before the SIT on May 31 and will “fully cooperate in the investigation”. He had also suggested that he went into “depression and isolation” after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders spoke about his sexual abuse videos.

Issues highlighted in the meeting of the Federation:

Protecting the dignity of the victims: In the press release, the issue of protecting the women who have been sexually exploited by Prajwal Revanna was raised. The videos of the sexual abuse, which had been non-consensually recorded by Prajwal Revanna, were circulated among the public through pen drives and social-media which have resulted in the violation of the privacy and dignity of the abused women. The Federation states that attempts were being made to show the said content to the children, families, relatives and acquaintances of the victims and such attempts could continue in the future as well.

Highlighting the same, the Federation had discussed and called for taking of such steps that mitigate the severity of this situation. Additionally, the organisation asked for the government to take measures to find all the videos and photographs related to the Hassan scandal anywhere on the internet and to destroy all the sources of the same.

Cancellation of ‘Diplomatic Passport’ of Prajwal Revanna: The organisations also provided that the union government is yet to cancel the ‘Diplomatic Passport’ issued to Prajwal Revanna, and has not even responded to the letter written by state government seeking help with his arrest. Based on this, the organisations demanded for the government to take quick and concrete steps towards cancellation of the ‘Diplomatic Passport’ granted to Prajwal Revanna.

Politicisation of the issue taking away the severity of the crime: In addition to the union government failing to take appropriate steps to arrest Prajwal Revanna, the press release pointed to the pressure being Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, along with other JDS and BJP leaders in demanding a handover of the case CBI with the clear intension to derail the investigation. Furthermore, the organisations also noted that the Congress party’s involvement in the mudslinging has also hampered the seriousness of the scandal. the organisations also emphasised upon the SIT’s duty to contact the directly and reassure the victims of sexual abuse by providing them appropriate protection.

The complete press release can be read here:

Related:

Prajwal Revanna sexual violence case: Arrest warrant against Revanna issued by court, JD(S) decries political conspiracy

JD(S) leader HD Revanna, accused of allegedly kidnapping a survivor of sexual assault by son Prajwal Revanna, granted bail

NDA candidate Prajwal Revanna accused of sexually exploiting and videotaping thousands of women

National Commission for Women: An instrument of social justice or a mere political mouthpiece?

The post Federation of Karnataka State People’s Movements to protest against Prajwal Revanna sexual abuse case on May 30 appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The move followed an application by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was formed to investigate Prajwal’s alleged atrocities on women, as per local media reports. The said SIT had been formed on the recommendations of Karnataka State Commission for Women chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhary.

Previously, a Blue Corner notice had been issued against Prajwal Revanna. A blue notice permits Interpol to gather details regarding an individual’s identity, whereabouts, or actions linked to a criminal inquiry. Karnataka Home Minister, G Parameshwara had earlier provided that the state government has requested Interpol’s help in repatriating Revanna, as per a report of the Hindu.

Brief background of the case:

Electronic devices like pen drives and CDs had emerged in the public domain on April 21, ahead of the April 26 Hassan parliament poll, which had suggested that Prajwal Revanna, the Hassan MP, had allegedly carried out sexual assaults on several women in Hassan and recorded the attacks on his phone camera. It is to be noted that as many as 2,900 files with videos and images of the sexual encounters of the MP were found in the pen drives that were leaked. A helpline had also been set up by the SIT to report incidents of attack by the MP. At present, a total of three cases of sexual assault have been registered by three women against Prajwal Revanna.

On May 13, JD(S) leader and Karnataka Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) HD Revanna was granted conditional bail by Bengaluru court. The said bail was granted by the Special court in connection with a kidnapping case linked to sexual abuse allegation against him and his son Prajwal. The said MLA had spent after seven days in jail after four-day police custody.  While granting bail, Judge Santhosh Gajanana Bhat had imposed conditions that required the accused to furnish a bond for Rs 5 lakh, along with two sureties. In addition to this, H D Revanna has been barred from leaving the country, entering KR Nagar in Mysuru district, and interacting with the witnesses. He has also been asked to cooperate with the SIT investigation.

Blame games and leaked audios- political angle to a case of sexual violence against women

Reaction of Janata Dal (Secular) party supremo Deve Gowda: Since the breaking out of this news, a deafening silence had been maintained by many. Finally, on Saturday, H. D. Gowda broke his silence over the charges levelled against Revanna and stated that he has no objection if action is taken against his grandson in such case that he is found guilty.

However, H.D. Gowda maintained his stance that the said case as well as the allegations levied against his son and grandson are false and fabricated. As per a report of the Hindu, H.D. Gowda stated that “… I don’t want to comment on things that are going on in the court regarding Revanna. Prajwal Revanna has gone abroad, regarding that Kumaraswamy (Gowda’s other son and state JD(S) chief) has on behalf of our family said it is the duty of the government to take action in accordance with the law of the land.”

Furthermore, he said that “There are several people connected to this (sexual abuse cases), I don’t want to take anyone’s names. Kumaraswamy has said that for those who are involved in this matter, action should be taken against all of them, and the affected women should get justice and compensation. There is no objection from us for taking action against Prajwal. But people have come to know (facts) about the allegations made against Revanna, and how the case has been created. In one case he has got the bail, in another case, there is a judgment the day after tomorrow… I don’t want to comment on it.”

Leaked audio suggests political angle: On May 19, a new audio went viral in which two BJP party leaders can be heard having a conversation regarding leaking of the now leaked videos and the consequences it might have on the survivors’/victims. L.R. Shivarame Gowda (BJP) is allegedly heard trying to convince Devaraje Gowda (BJP) to distribute pen drives containing the obscene videos allegedly involving Prajwal Revanna. As per multiple media reports, during the said conversation, L.R. Shivarame Gowda (BJP) was asking Mr. Devaraje Gowda to “distribute the pen drives and pass on the blame for it on former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy [JD(S)] as a case of the latter wanting to promote his son.”

As per a report of the Hindu, in the audio, L.R. Shivarame Gowda (BJP) was allegedly convincing Mr. Devaraje Gowda (BJP) to hand over all the videos pertaining to the case to him by saying: “Do not underestimate Mr. Kumaraswamy, former Prime Minister H.D. Gowda and his family. The government is determined to ruin their lives. I am wondering why Mr. H.D. Gowda has not committed suicide till now.”

While convincing Devaraje Gowda (BJP), Shivarame Gowda (BJP) can then be heard asking to not worry much about consequences of distributing pen drives. “What is wrong about sharing the videos?” he asks in the audio clip. Upon Devaraje Gowda (BJP) pointing out the impact that the leaked videos will have on the lives of the survivors/victims, L.R. Shivarame Gowda (BJP) is heard telling him that Union Home Minister Amit Shah (BJP) recently said in Chennai that Karnataka is not a safe place for women.

JD(S) brings in the angle of conspiracy: As the leaked audio hit the social media and news, the JD(S) raised a serious allegation against the current State Congress government, stating that they hatched a conspiracy to take away the life of former Prime Minister H.D. Gowda.

In furtherance to this, the party, which is an ally of the current ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleged that State Congress president Mr. Shivakumar is the “original owner of the pen drive factory,” accused him of leading the “sleeper cell” of pen drive distribution.

As per the JD(S) party, a total of four conspiracies lie behind the whole sexual violence case, which involve bringing discredit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, tarnishing the image and leadership of Mr. Kumaraswamy, breaking the JD(S)-BJP alliance and plotting to kill Mr. HD Gowda.

Only a day before this, on May 19, Devaraje Gowda (BJP) had claimed that the deputy Chief minister D.K. Shivakumar was offered a sum of 100 crore to accuse Mr. Kumaraswamy of masterminding the circulation of pen drives.

Related:

JD(S) leader HD Revanna, accused of allegedly kidnapping a survivor of sexual assault by son Prajwal Revanna, granted bail

NDA candidate Prajwal Revanna accused of sexually exploiting and videotaping thousands of women

Report card: BJP and crimes against women

The post Prajwal Revanna sexual violence case: Arrest warrant against Revanna issued by court, JD(S) decries political conspiracy appeared first on SabrangIndia.