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Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna, who is accused of sexually abusing numerous women, returned to India on the intervening night of Thursday from Berlin, Germany, nearly a month after leaving the country on a diplomatic passport.
The Hassan MP fled the country after the conclusion of the second phase of the Lok Saba elections in which his constituency also voted. Security was heightened at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport and the CID office in the city ahead of Prajwal’s arrival.
JD(S) MP for Karnataka’s Hassan constituency, Prajwal is the grandson of JD(S) leader and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. He is the NDA candidate from Hassan in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. After videos emerged showing Prajwal sexually abusing several women, the state women’s commission urged Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah for a probe and Prajwal left the country on April 27. The first FIR was registered against him on April 28 after a woman who worked in his household filed a complaint of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation against him.
Earlier on Thursday, thousands of people joined the ‘Hassan Chalo’ protest organized by the Union of Karnataka People’s Movement in Hassan district, calling for Prajwal’s arrest. The protesters demanded that the suspended JD(S) MP be arrested when he arrived at the airport.
About 10,000 representatives from 113 organisations across Karnataka took part in the protest. The march began at the Hemavati statue in Hassan and concluded with a public meeting near the District Collector’s office on New Bus Stand Road.
The Karnataka government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on April 27 to investigate allegations against Prajwal after nearly 3,000 explicit videos allegedly involving him appeared on social media. Despite the accusations, Prajwal strongly denied them, claiming the videos were fake. The SIT was formed following recommendations from the state women’s commission.
Moreover, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday that steps were being taken to cancel the diplomatic passport of suspended JD(S) MP Prajwal. He also has been given a show cause notice on May 23, and he must respond to it, Jaiswal added.
He further explained that the ministry is acting under the Passport Act 1967 to revoke Prajwal’s diplomatic passport. “MEA has initiated action under provisions in the Passport Act 1967 for revocation of the diplomatic passport of Prajwal Revanna. A show cause notice was issued to the passport holder on 23rd May, giving him 10 working days to respond to our notice. We are waiting for his response and accordingly, we will take things forward once we hear from him or once the 10-day period expires.”
After much delay in his return to India, Prajwal released a self-made video on Monday saying he will appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for questioning on May 31. He explained that his trip was planned in advance since there were no cases against him when Karnataka voted in the general elections on April 26. He also claimed that he was a victim of a political conspiracy because of his rising influence in politics. Officials believe he is still in Germany, though his exact location is unknown.
The SIT has filed a case against five people including Prajwal’s father HD Revanna.
Prajwal’s mother Bhavani Revanna filed a plea for anticipatory bail on May 29, for which the Karnataka High Court reserved the order for May 31 in the kidnapping case in which HD Revanna was earlier arrested.
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