The Indian political arena has been shaken by allegations of sexual abuse against Prajwal Revanna, a Member of Parliament (MP) from Karnataka, leading to widespread outrage and calls for justice. The grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Revanna has been accused of a litany of sexual offenses, with the scandal igniting a firestorm of criticism aimed at both the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) party and its political ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The JD(S) announced on Monday that Prajwal Revanna was suspended.K Siddaramaiah, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, stated that a special investigation team (SIT) will investigate the case following a request from the state’s women’s commission.
The accusations against Mr. Revanna were initially brought up in June of last year. He was able to get a court order to stop the media from reporting on what were said to be “edited videos”. However, just five days before the voting on 26th April in Hassan, where Mr. Revanna is the MP and running for re-election, thousands of USB drives were distributed in places like bus stops and parks.
After a woman filed a complaint, Nagalakshmi Chaudhary, the head of Karnataka’s women’s commission, wrote to the state police chief asking for action to be taken against those responsible.
“Your blood boils when you see some of the videos,” she told the BBC. “There is one woman who is begging… ‘please don’t, please don’t’. You feel sick.”
A 47-year-old woman, who was employed as a cook for the family and claimed to be a relative of Mr. Revanna’s mother, lodged a police complaint in March, accusing the MP and his father of sexually assaulting her.
“When I joined, six other maids would say they were scared of Prajwal. The male employees, too, would ask us to be wary of [HD] Revanna and his son Prajwal,” she said in her complaint.
“Whenever his wife was away, [HD] Revanna would repeatedly touch me inappropriately, disrobe me and sexually assault me. While I was working in the kitchen, Prajwal would grope me from behind,” she added.
As the scandal unfolded, the National Commission for Women (NCW) faced criticism for a perceived lackluster response to the case. A petition initiated by the All-India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA) and the Women for Democracy (WFD), signed by over 700 concerned citizens, demanded strong legal action against both Prajwal and his father, MLA H D Revanna.
The letter reads, “Why has the response of the custodian of women’s rights in the country (NCW) remained so minimal when no less than a Member of Parliament and a sitting MLA face grave charges of sexual abuse and violence against multiple women.”
Relevant articles:
– Prajwal Revanna: Indian MP’s ‘sex abuse’ tapes spark outrage | Over 1000 women raped, bbc.com, 05/08/2024
– ‘Dismayed by NCW’s poor response’: Karnataka sexual violence case, Counterview, 05/05/2024
– Karnataka Sex Tape Case: New Helpline Launched for Victims Amidst Allegations, News Track English, 05/06/2024
– ‘25,000 pen drives distributed’: HD Kumaraswamy sees plot in sex abuse allegations against Prajwal Revanna, The Times of India, 05/07/2024