Prajwal Revanna: Police Refuse Request for Time to Join Sexual Harassment Investigation

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara stated that Revanna, grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, must appear before the Special Investigation Team probing the matter without delay. The Minister indicated that Revanna may be arrested if he fails to comply. The SIT had rejected Revanna’s request for a seven-day grace period to appear before the investigators. The thirty-three-year-old Revanna has been accused of sexual harassment by a woman who worked as a cook at the Revanna family home.

She also alleged that Revanna had harassed her daughter via video calls, and explicit visuals purportedly involving him have circulated on the Internet. The Minister emphasized that both Prajwal Revanna and HD Revanna must cooperate with the probe, and their failure to do so would lead to their arrest. Revanna’s lawyer, Arun G, argued that the case has various dimensions and requested seven days to address them, while also asserting that Prajwal had claimed the videos were doctored. Additionally, Prajwal Revanna communicated through his advocate that he was not in Bangalore to attend the inquiry, but would cooperate with the CID in due course.

The allegations have stirred a significant political controversy in the midst of the election season. The JDS, which has aligned with the BJP for the polls, faced harsh scrutiny from the Congress following the accusations against Prajwal Revanna. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and questioned his silence on the matter, prompting a response from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who expressed disapproval of the Congress’s actions in Karnataka. Shah asserted that the BJP cannot align with those who commit acts of violence against women.

He questioned why the Congress government in Karnataka had not taken action against Revanna earlier, highlighting the political ramifications of the case. The Revanna family, which is affiliated with the JDS, belongs to the Vokkaliga community, holding significant influence in south Karnataka. The community plays a pivotal role in fourteen Lok Sabha seats, which went to the polls on April 26.