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Meanwhile, Prajwal Revanna, the grandson of JDS chief and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, left for Frankfurt, Germany on April 27. (File Image: News18)
Video clips depicting obscene acts which allegedly involved women being forced or filmed without their consent began circulating in Hassan, following which, the Karnataka State Commission for Women asked the chief minister to set up a special investigation team
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ordered a special investigation team to probe a sex scandal allegedly involving Hassan MP and Janata Dal (Secular) candidate from the seat, Prajwal Revanna. The development comes a day after voting took place in the constituency on April 26.
Video clips allegedly showing MP Prajwal Revanna indulge in sexual acts with several women including few government employees began circulating in Hassan, following which, the Karnataka State Commission for Women asked the chief minister to set up a special investigation team.
The women commission said that it also has cases allegedly involving women being forced or filmed without their consent.
The Commission, headed by Dr Nagalakshmi Chaudhary, said that “influential politicians” sought sexual favours from women besides “raping some of them”.
Meanwhile, Prajwal Revanna, the grandson of JDS chief and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, left for Frankfurt, Germany on April 27.
Announcing his decision to set up an SIT to probe the case, Siddaramaiah took to microblogging site X and wrote, “The government has decided to form a special investigation team in connection with the Prajwal Revanna obscene video case. Obscene video clips are circulating in Hassan district, where it appears that women have been sexually assaulted. Against this backdrop, 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.”
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar demanded answers from the state BJP chief on the matter. The BJP is an ally of JD(S) in the Southern state.
“The allegations of sexual assault are not just on some random Hassan leader. (Karnataka BJP Chief) BY Vijayendra and others must answer. I read reports of them saying that the Women’s Commission is trying to tarnish their image. The Commission has written a letter to the chief minister and the home Minister,” Shivakumar was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.
Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad also reacted to the matter saying “no matter how powerful an individual is action will be taken”.
“The videos I believe are exhibiting some kind of force and violence against Women that are very serious and it will be properly investigated and necessary action will be taken. No matter who and how powerful he is, action will be taken,” Arshad said.
On the other hand, Poornachandra Tejaswi MG, the election agent for both the Janata Dal (Secular) and the BJP, lodged a complaint alleging that Naveen Gowda and several others circulated purported videos to defame Revanna, an India Today report said.
“Naveen Gowda and others morphed videos and images and circulated them to the voters in the Hassan Lok Sabha segment through pen drives, CDs and WhatsApp to put Prajwal Revanna in bad light. They are asking the people not to vote for him,” the FIR stated.
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