Prajwal Revanna case: No progress in SIT probe as women victims refuse to cooperate

According to officials it is important to get the statements from the victims to determine whether they were genuinely harassed or if the encounters were consensual. Additionally, police officials are awaiting confirmation on whether the videos stored on the pen drives related to Prajwal Revanna are original or doctored before proceeding further. However, the reluctance of several victims to participate in the investigation is stalling the progress of the investigation.

The officials said that the victims of Prajwal's alleged abuse are not willing to talk to the investigators, with some even threatening suicide if pressed to participate further.

An SIT official informed The Federal that when contacted, some victims expressed shame and embarrassment at the prospect of facing their families if they cooperated with the investigation. "Few victims have pleaded with us to be excused from the investigation, threatening suicide if forced to comply," the official said. "We cannot compel them to participate at this juncture; we can only get their statements if they are willing to come forward."

This issue has been brought to the attention of home minister G Parameshwara. In a statement, Parameshwara assured the aggrieved women that they can confidently come forward to file complaints and promised government support and security.

However, two FIRs filed against Prajwal Revanna and his father HD Revanna are considered to be important. In these two FIRs, the accused seem to have harassed the victims.

Also, one of the victims has given her statement before a court in Bengaluru under CPRC 164. "It will become an important document for the SIT to probe the case further," an investigator said.

In addition to the SIT investigation, Hassan police has filed a second FIR related to this case. The complainant accuses MP Prajwal Revanna of sexually assaulting a woman and issuing threats to her life. While the first case implicated MLA HD Revanna and Prajwal for allegedly sexually assaulting a domestic worker and her daughter. These cases have been transferred to the SIT for further investigation.

Meanwhile, the SIT issued a lookout notice against Prajwal Revanna on Thursday (May 2), as he absconded to Germany using a diplomatic passport. Diplomatic passport holders often face minimal scrutiny at airports, facilitating easy travel across many countries. The Chief Minister has requested the central government to revoke Prajwal's diplomatic passport.

SIT officers issued a lookout notice under Section 41 'A', mandating Prajwal and the accused to appear before investigating officers within 24 hours. However, Prajwal has not returned to India, reportedly moving between countries using his diplomatic passport. The SIT rejected his request for a seven-day extension and issued the lookout notice to facilitate his arrest upon his return to India, according to an official.

Also, it is said that Prajwal, who sought time till seven days to appear before the SIT, has planned to come to Bengaluru after May 15th. "The SIT is informed about the flight ticket arrangements done by Prajwal on May 15th. So, his plea to SIT seeking seven days to the SIT notice is considered null and void. So we have decided to issue a lookout notice to make the arrest of Prajwal easy," the official added.

Meanwhile, former minister HD Revanna, the prime accused in the first case in Hassan, where his son is the second accused in a sexual abuse case involving a housemaid, has sought anticipatory bail from a city sessions court in Bengaluru. However, home minister G Parameshwara told the media that if HD Revanna fails to appear for questioning before the SIT by May 2nd, he will be arrested. The court has postponed the hearing on the anticipatory bail, and the SIT team may proceed with his arrest.

On the other hand, the SIT, however, is hesitant to arrest HD Revanna, said sources. This is because the Congress government fears that any adverse fallout of the arrest may adversely impact tthem in the ongoing LS elections. Thus, the government is reportedly adopting a cautious approach in this matter, said an official.