Prajwal Revanna accused in sex assault case to appear before SIT on May 31

Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who was accused in a sex assault case last month and has been absconding for weeks, has now released a video in which he said that he will return and appear before the Special Investigation Team on May 31 at 10 am. 

In April, BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) MP, who was booked in connection with an alleged sexual abuse case involving several women, fled to Germany soon after reports emerged. Earlier, he had said he is not in Bengaluru and would need seven days’ time to appear before the SIT.

“I will personally on Friday, May 31 at 10 am will come before the SIT and will cooperate with the investigation and will respond to it (charges). I have faith in court and I am confident I will come out of false cases through court,” Prajwal said in a video statement aired on Kannada TV channel Asianet Suvarna News, PTI reported.

The 33-year-old Prajwal, grandson of India's former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, and his father H D Revanna, an MLA from Holenarasipura, have been implicated in the sex scandal involving multiple women.

In the video statement, Prajwal also said that when he went abroad on April 26 night after the election in his constituency, there was no complaint against him. 

Last week, JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy appealed to Prajwal to return to Karnataka and face the ongoing investigation.

Earlier, on May 18, JDS patron HD Deve Gowda expressed his views on the matter. While advocating for legal action against Prajwal Revanna, he emphasized that his son, HD Revanna, had been unfairly implicated in the case.

Four women had filed complaints with the police, accusing Prajwal of several offences including rape, threatening them and filming the assaults. 

Close to 3000 videos and many others in which the women’s faces are clearly visible, have been circulating online and on social media since around April 22. 

Prajwal’s father HD Revanna and Holenarasipura MLA has been accused of kidnapping one of the women who was allegedly raped by Prajwal, reported The News Minute.

In the video message, Prajwal did not make mention of the alleged assault videos even once, and claimed that there was a “political conspiracy” against him.

“Some forces in Hassan have launched a political conspiracy against me and want to end my political career. I had to distance myself. There’s no need to be mistaken. I will come back on the 31st at 10am to meet with the SIT and give me full cooperation for the investigation. I believe in the law and the system. I will emerge stronger from all these false allegations against me, he was quoted as saying.