Karnataka govt forms SIT to probe Prajwal Revanna's sex scandal case after JD(S) leader 'flees' country
BENGALURU: The Karnataka Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into Hassan JD(S) MP and H D Deve Gowda's grandson Prajwal Revanna's alleged involvement in a sex scandal.
Revanna had allegedly exploited thousands of women sexually and shot the videos on his cellphone and the pen drive of the same was circulated invariably.
Confirming the setting up of the SIT, Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara promised an impartial probe into the scandal.
"Once the case is handed over to SIT, led by a top police officer, it will decide on whatever steps should be taken. If it is true that the accused had fled the country, the SIT will take action about bringing him back to the country. We will not intervene in the investigation, as it should be like this and that, as the SIT will be headed by a senior officer," he stated.
The three-member SIT formed by the state government will be headed by IPS officer Vijay Kumar Singh. DG CID Suman D Pennekar and IPS officer Seema Latkar will be members of the team.
JD(S) leaders call for action
Meanwhile, top JD(S) leaders, including Prajwal's uncle H D Kumaraswamy and core committee chairman G T Deve Gowda, did not defend Revanna and said that the guilty should be punished.
"The government has ordered an SIT investigation in this regard. Let the facts come out from the SIT investigation. Whoever has done wrong by breaking the law of this land, those who have eaten salt must drink water ('uppu tindavaru neeru kudiyabeku' in Kannada). There is no question of forgiving anyone in this regard. I will speak after the investigation report comes out completely," H D Kumaraswamy told the reporters.
Welcoming the SIT probe, GT Deve Gowda said that action will be taken against Revanna if the SIT probe finds him guilty.
Another case against Prajwal, father Revanna
Meanwhile, a case of sexual harassment and stalking was registered on Sunday against Prajwal and, his father and former minister HD Revanna respectively. The case was registered in Hassan's Holenarasipur police station based on a complaint by their cook.
The complainant said she is a relative of Revanna's wife Bhavani.
She alleged that four months after she started working, Revanna used to sexually harass her, and his son Prajwal used to make video calls to her daughter and have "vulgar conversations" with her.
She also alleged that there is a threat to her life as well as other members of her family.
Prajwal Revanna fled country?
Meanwhile, the JD(S) MP has allegedly fled to Frankfurt, Germany, from Bengaluru.
The 'obscene videos' had gone viral on social media just two days before the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka on April 26.
The Karnataka CM in a post on 'X' said that the government has decided to form a special investigation team in connection with Prajwal Revanna's obscene video case.
"Obscene video clips are circulating in Hassan district, where it appears that women have been sexually assaulted," he said.
"In this background, the Chairperson of the Women's Commission had written a letter to the government to conduct an SIT investigation. This decision has been taken in response to their request," the post further read.
The Hassan MP filed a FIR a day after the Karnataka CM called for a SIT probe.
In the FIR, Revanna refuted the allegations over the obscene videos and said that the videos were morphed and being circulated to tarnish his image and poison the mind of voters ahead of elections.
Earlier, on April 25, the chairperson of the state women's panel requested CM Siddaramaiah to order an SIT probe into the obscene clips, allegedly involving the JD(S) MP, circulating on social media.
BJP distances itself from JD(S)
Meanwhile, the BJP distanced itself from Revanna amid the controversy.
While the BJP is contesting the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the state in alliance with the JD(S), Revanna is seeking a fresh term in the Lower House from Hassan and is pitted against the Congress' Shreyas Patel.
S Prakash, the chief spokesperson of BJP's state unit, said, "We, as a party, have nothing to do with the videos and neither do we have any comments to make on the SIT probe announced by the state government into the alleged sex scandal involving Prajwal Revanna."
Dr Narendra Rangappa, another spokesperson for the BJP's state unit, simply said, "No comments", when asked for his take on the purported sleaze videos allegedly involving the JD(S) legislator.
According to sources in the BJP, the party has chosen not to react officially to the alleged sleaze tape case, as several of its senior leaders in the state are tight-lipped in the matter.
A BJP leader, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the party has nothing to do with the alleged sex tape and will not react at this time, as it has chosen to keep its distance from a matter that has come as an 'embarrassment' for the sitting NDA MP from Hassan.
(With inputs from Agencies)