HASSAN: Kartik, the former driver of Hassan JDS MP Prajwal Revanna, is the main man in the raging alleged sex scandal allegedly involving the 33-year-old politician.
On Tuesday, Kartik said he never leaked the pen drive that contained explicit videos allegedly involving Prajwal. But he said he gave one of the pen drives to BJP leader and advocate Devarajegowda.
Kartik had approached Devarajegowda seeking justice after the family of Holenarasipur MLA HD Revanna, father of Prajwal, allegedly assaulted him and his wife over a land dispute. Kartik said Revanna’s family forcibly took the land from him by making him sign on empty bond papers.
Later, Prajwal approached the Karnataka High Court, seeking a stay against publishing the videos, allegedly showing his sexual assault on thousands of women, in the media. The case was filed after the Hassan MP realised that the pen drive contained objectionable material that could reach media houses.
Kartik on Tuesday clarified that he did not give the pen drive to anyone else, except Devarajegowda. He alleged, “Devarajegowda has now hatched a plot to target me in Prajwal’s case. I have known Revanna’s family well for the last 15 years. I will reveal all the information to the SIT about the incidents that have occurred so far and persons involved in the obscene videos. I will also reveal further details to the media in the future.”
Kartik’s statements assume significance as JDS state president and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy had alleged KPCC president DK Shivakumar’s involvement in releasing the obscene videos through Congress workers in Hassan two days before the polling for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on April 26.
BJP member Devaraje Gowda has said the obscene videos were likely leaked by a Congress leader after getting the pen drive from Karthik, the former driver of Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna. Gowda on Tuesday alleged that Karthik could have disclosed the pen drive matter to a Congress leader when he approached him seeking justice over a land dispute with the family of JDS leader HD Revanna.
Gowda said he was ready for any probe and claimed that he never leaked the contents of the pen drive. Gowda was involved in a legal battle over Prajwal allegedly filing a false affidavit ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
“Karthik had disclosed the presence of several obscene videos in a pen drive to me when he approached me to discuss the strategies to be adopted to get justice in the land dispute,” Gowda said.
He also admitted that he collected the pen drive from Karthik only for the legal battle. Demanding a CBI probe into the sex scandal, Gowda said, “Truth should come out, and the victims should get justice.”
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes credit for the success of Chandrayaan mission, Covid vaccination, Commonwealth sports, but claims to be not at fault when atrocities, rape and injustice happen to women in this country,” alleged AICC social media wing president Supriya Shrinate.
She told reporters that both Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah should be ashamed that they gave the ticket to Prajwal Revanna, the JDS-BJP alliance Lok Sabha candidate from Hassan despite knowing his involvement in sexual assault cases beforehand. “On what grounds was a ticket given to Prajwal? How did they appreciate his work at a BJP convention held in Mysuru,” she asked.
The National Women’s Commission too has remained silent on the issue, while Union minister Smriti Irani has remained absolutely quiet, she alleged. The Manipur imbroglio, Hathras incident and now Hassan Pen drive case... none of these have been telecast in the national media. There have been no debates on these issues.
Also, Prajwal succeeded in running away from the country with the cooperation of the BJP-led Union government, she charged.
“This person did not spare maids, zilla panchayat members and others. Videos of him sexually abusing thousands of women have gone viral. The state government formed an SIT immediately after the State Women’s Commission filed a complaint and started the investigation. The probe should be completed early and the guilty must be punished,” she said.
