How HD Deve Gowda’s grandson Prajwal, son Revanna are embroiled in a sex scandal in Karnataka

Amid the busy poll season, trouble has cropped up for the JD(S) in Karnataka. A woman from Holenarsipura town lodged a police complaint on Sunday (28 April) against former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s grandson and JD (S) leader Prajwal Revanna, accusing him of sexually harassing her.

Following the complaint, the Congress-led government has set up a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the sexual assault allegations.

What exactly happened? What are the allegations? Here’s what we know so far.

The sex scandal

Three days before Karnataka’s Hassan — from where Prajwal is contesting the election — went to the polls on 26 April, sex videos surfaced online allegedly involving Prajwal. The videos allegedly reveal Prajwal sexually abusing women and coercing them into having sex. As per an Indian Express report, most video clips were said to have been either shot in Hassan or Holenarasipura.

This was followed up by a woman approaching the Holenarasipura police and filing a complaint that Prajwal Revanna, and his father, HD Revanna, had allegedly sexually harassed her. She stated that she approached the police after she saw the video clips, narrating their ordeal.

Her complaint details the abuse she underwent between 2019 and 2022. The woman told the police, as per a Times of India report, that she was a relative of Revanna’s wife Bhavani and was invited to work as a house help in 2011. In 2015, Revanna helped her secure a cook’s job at a hostel and then in 2019 she re-joined Revanna’s house.

“Six other domestic helps in the house would say they are scared of Prajwal. The male employees too would ask us to be wary of Revanna and Prajwal. Whenever his wife Bhavani was away, 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. Prajwal would ask the other employees to bring my daughter to do an oil massage for him. Prajwal would make video calls to my daughter and speak obscenely,” the FIR quotes the woman as saying, as per a Times of India report.

Following the alleged abuse, she suffered, she quit the work and also blocked Revanna’s phone number.

Based on the complaint, the cops have now filed an FIR under IPC for sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment, stalking, punishment for criminal intimidation, and word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman. The FIR states Revanna and Prajwal as accused No 1 and 2 respectively.

SIT formed

Following the complaint, the Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday (27 April) announced the formation of an SIT after a hue and cry was raised on the matter. He wrote in a post on X: “The government has decided to form a special investigation team in connection with Prajwal Revanna’s obscene video case. Obscene video clips are circulating in Hassan district, where it appears that women have been sexually assaulted. In this background, 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.”

In fact, earlier the Karnataka state women’s commission had written a letter to Siddaramaiah and the state police chief urging them to investigate the issue since it involved the dignity and lives of the women in the clips and images.

Karnataka’s deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar has also demanded that leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and JD(S) — both the parties are jointly contesting the polls together in Karnataka — issue a clarification. “The prime minister, BY Vijayendra, Shobakka, Ashok, Kumaranna, and Ashwath Narayan must answer to the people,” he was quoted as saying as per a report by the News Minute.

JD(S) responds

While the BJP has distanced itself from the controversy, the JD(S) is now in firefighting mode. S Prakash, the chief spokesperson of BJP’s state unit, said, “We, as a party, have nothing to do with the videos and neither do we have any comments to make on the SIT probe announced by the state government into the alleged sex scandal involving Prajwal Revanna.”

On the other hand, Prajwal’s uncle HD Kumaraswamy said he and his father, Deve Gowda, have always been respectful towards women and heeded their grievances. “An SIT probe has been ordered already…. Let the (findings) of the investigation come out first… according to the law of the land… ‘Uppu Thindavaru Neer Kudilebeku’ (a Kannada proverb meaning people have to face the consequences for their actions)’. There is no question of forgiving anyone who has committed a mistake. Let the findings come out, then I will comment,” he told reporters Sunday.

It has been reported that Prajwal has fled the country with NDTV and Indian Express reporting that he is in Germany.

However, he did claim that the videos of him circulating around the state were “morphed” and are being circulated to tarnish his image during the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Interestingly, amid this scandal, it has now emerged that a leader from Karnataka’s Hassan district had earlier warned the state leadership about allegations that Prajwal Revanna was sexually abusing women. A News Minute report states that G Devaraje Gowda had written to state president BY Vijayendra on 8 December 2023, warning against nominating Prajwal. He claimed that he had received a pen drive containing 2,976 videos of women (including government officials) performing sexual acts, which were then being used to blackmail them into continuing to engage in sexual activities. He also claimed that another pen drive containing these videos and photos had reached national leaders of the Congress.

Will this hurt the BJP-JD(S) combine in Karnataka? We shall know only on 4 June when the results are declared.

With inputs from agencies