Where is Prajwal Revanna? Karnataka MP's location unknown amid assault case

JDS Karnataka chief HD Kumaraswamy said Prajwal Revanna was not in contact with his father and MLA H D Revanna or anyone else

In the midst of controversy surrounding the viral obscene videos involving Hassan BJP-Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) MP Prajwal Revanna, the party’s Karnataka president HD Kumaraswamy urged his nephew Prajwal Revanna on Wednesday to return from abroad and cooperate with the investigation into the alleged sexual abuse.

Kumaraswamy admitted that Prajwal’s delayed return has damaged the reputation of both the party and the HD Deve Gowda family. “I openly appealed to him that if he has any respect for the party, its karyakartas, and Deve Gowda, he should come back from wherever he is. If he has not done anything wrong, he can prove it; if he has done wrong, then he must face the punishment,” Kumaraswamy said.

Where is Prajwal Revanna?

The contentious issue is that Revanna’s whereabouts are currently unknown.

The JDS leader urged Revanna not to “take advice from advocates on the matter”. “To save his morality, he must come back from wherever he is. This is my demand,” Kumaraswamy stated, hoping that Prajwal will heed his appeal.

Addressing the media on Wednesday, Kumaraswamy said that Prajwal was not in contact with his father and MLA HD Revanna or anyone else.

“Where will I go to search for him? If I go abroad, they will say I have gone to save Prajwal. He is not in contact with anyone... with the advice of some advocates, all these things have happened. In case I had come to know about him leaving for abroad on April 27, I would have stopped him,” he said.

“Prajwal had sought a week to appear before SIT, but it was denied and another rape case was filed against him. With all this he might be afraid (to come back),” he added.

Earlier this month, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that Revanna travelled to Germany on a diplomatic passport without seeking political clearance for the trip.

“No political clearance was either sought from or issued by MEA regarding the MP's travel to Germany,” Jaiswal stated.

Interpol gets involved in finding Prajwal Revanna

Reportedly, Interpol has issued a ‘Blue Corner Notice’ to gather information on Prajwal Revanna’s whereabouts, following a request from the SIT through the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). A Special Court for Elected Representatives has also issued an arrest warrant against Prajwal Revanna based on an application filed by the SIT.

Prajwal Revanna sex scandal

Revanna, the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, is at the center of a sexual abuse case. He left India on a diplomatic passport, reportedly to Germany, just one day after the Lok Sabha elections in his constituency on April 26.

Several women have accused the MP of violating their modesty and recording the acts on camera.

On April 27, at the State Commission for Women’s request, the Karnataka government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the alleged video clips of sexual abuse involving the Hassan MP.

Although the investigation was ordered a day after the state’s second phase of polling, pen drives containing thousands of explicit video clips featuring multiple women had been circulating in Hassan and nearby areas well before the election.

Poll issue in Lok Sabha elections

The case has become a significant political issue during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, with the Congress attacking the BJP for aligning with a ‘tainted’ MP and his party.

Opposition parties have also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for campaigning for him. The BJP, in turn, has accused the Congress of allowing the accused to flee the state.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has again written to PM Modi on Wednesday, requesting the cancellation of the MP’s diplomatic passport.