Prajwal Revanna, Janata Dal (Secular) MP from Karnataka’s Hassan, has come out with his first statement on the escalating allegations of sexual assault against him. On Wednesday, May 1, Prajwal posted on his official social media handle that he is currently outside of Bengaluru and has conveyed this to the Bengaluru CID through his lawyers.
"As I am not in Bangalore to attend the inquiry, I have communicated to CID Bangalore through my Advocate. Truth will prevail soon," he wrote. He also posted a letter written by his advocate Arun G, asking for seven days to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) put together by the Karnataka government to probe the matter.
“According to the information I received from the family of my client, under Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) Section 41 A, Prajwal was summoned before SIT on April 30, notice was served to appear before them on May 1. I have informed my client Prajwal Revanna about the notice as he is travelling outside Bengaluru,” Arun’s letter to the CID reads.
Prajwal Revanna is the grandson of former PM HD Deve Gowda, and he reportedly left the country after multiple women accused him of sexual assault and filming the assault to blackmail them. The videos, with unblurred faces of the women, were then circulated widely, allegedly by Prajwal’s political opponents. It is estimated that the number of clips runs up to 3000 with unblurred footage of over 70 women including JD(S) party workers, wives of JD(S) workers, public servants, media persons, and many others. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on April 27, announced an investigation by an SIT to probe the matter, including who spread the videos.
Prajwal was suspended from the JD(S) on April 30, after a core committee meeting of party workers demanded his removal.
In June 2023, when there were hushed talks about Prajwal’s alleged sexual assaults, the incumbent MP obtained a gag order from the court, barring most media from reporting whatever was known back then. Prajwal is seeing re-election as MP from Hassan as an NDA candidate, and G Devaraje Gowda, who was the BJP’s Holenarsipura candidate during the 2023 Assembly elections, said that he had written to state president BY Vijayendra on December 8, 2023, warning against nominating Prajwal, owing to his predatory behaviour.
Meanwhile, on April 28, a 47-year-old woman had filed a complaint against Prajwal and his father Holenarsipura MLA HD Revanna accusing them of sexually harassing her and her daughter while she was employed at the Revanna household as a domestic worker. According to the complaint, both Revanna and Prajwal sexually harassed the women under various pretexts. Prajwal allegedly used to video call the woman’s daughter when she was at home and harass her using foul language.
The complainant also said that she too received videos of women being sexually assaulted, allegedly by Prajwal Revanna. In one of those videos, she claims to have seen another domestic worker whom she knew was being assaulted by Prajwal, and was afraid that her videos would also be leaked.