Trouble mounts for Prajwal Revanna; 9 FIRs alleging rape to be registered against him

More than nine FIRs alleging rape and outraging the modesty of women will be registered against the absconding MP Prajwal Revanna, who is the main accused in a sex scandal that has rocked Karnataka. According to police sources, SIT women officials have already contacted more than thirty victims, and nine of them have agreed to file separate FIRs and record statements against Prajwal Revanna.

The 33-year-old Hassan MP allegedly sexually assaulted many women and filmed the act on his mobile phone and these videos were leaked after which they went viral. 

Multiple cases of assault

The sources said that eventually, Prajwal, who will face multiple cases of sexual assault, will be charged with assaulting the women by abusing the power of his MP position, coercing them into submission, and filming the acts on his mobile phone. An SIT official told The Federal that fighting all these cases will take years for the accused, and it will not be easy for the MP to evade the law.

Prajwal is also the JD(S)-BJP candidate in the Hassan constituency in this Lok Sabha election

Two FIRs have already been registered against him, alleging rape, and three of the five victims have provided details of Prajwal's sexual assault to the SIT officials. One victim has already recorded her statement before a judge. In one case, not only Prajwal but his father HD Revanna too is accused of harassing a woman. The number of cases piling up against father and son is going to land them in a lot of trouble, said a police officer to The Federal.

Abduction case

Meanwhile, former minister HD Revanna, who was arrested in connection with the kidnapping of a woman, who used to work in his house, will be questioned by the SIT police. The victim is expected to give her statement to the SIT on Monday (May 6). Officials stated that her statement will be recorded before the judge and will play an important role in deciding Revanna's fate regarding bail in the abduction case.

The victim, who was under house arrest in Revanna's assistant Satish Babanna's farmhouse after being allegedly 'kidnapped', was rescued by the SIT police on Saturday (May 4) evening. Later, she was taken to a Counseling Center in Bengaluru by the SIT police. Currently, she is under the care of a female psychiatrist and a female personal counsellor.

However, SIT officials said that she is giving conflicting statements to the police. At one point, she claimed that no one had kidnapped her and that she had left her house of her own accord. On another occasion, she told officers that she left home with an acquaintance. 

An official said that her inconsistent responses have hindered the investigation's progress. But she also admitted to being kidnapped and provided information about where she was taken.

Additionally, she gave information about the alleged sexual assault committed by Prajwal Revanna while crying in front of the female officers. Meanwhile, the SIT's helpline is expected to bring more victims to come forward to testify. The counsellors will also help the victims to become mentally strong to record the statements against the accused before the SIT, said the source. 

Conflicting statements

According to SIT officials, the woman said that she was sexually assaulted by Prajwal. But denied any attempt by HD Revanna to sexually harass her. Based on her statement, another rape case is expected to be registered against Prajwal Revanna.

Meanwhile, the housemaid, who filed a case at Holenarasipur police station, provided a statement before the SIT officers about the sexual harassment she had faced from Revanna and Prajwal. 

Revanna remains uncooperative

HD Revanna, who is being interrogated by the SIT officials, is reportedly not responding to the authorities' questioning. A SIT official revealed, "He is only giving us one-line answers. He says that he has nothing to do with the abduction of the woman and has not abducted anyone. Hundreds of women work in his homes, and he is not aware of the woman who is said to have been abducted is what he is telling us."