K'taka SIT to probe sex scandal involving Deve Gowda's MP-grandson Prajwal

The Karnataka government on Sunday constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe an alleged sex scandal involving Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who is the grandson of Janata Dal-Secular supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda.

The move came following a letter by the chairperson of Women's Commission Dr Nagalakshmi Chowdhary to the government.

The 33-year-old Prajwal was the National Democratic Alliance candidate in the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, which went to polls on April 26.

The JD-S joined the NDA in September last year.

The three-member SIT of IPS officers is led by the additional director general of police (CID) Bijay Kumar Singh.

The other two are Assistant Inspector General of Police Suman D Pennekar and Mysuru Superintendent of Police Seema Latkar.

The SIT has been directed to complete its investigation soon.

Some explicit video clips allegedly involving Prajwal had started making the rounds in Hassan in recent days.

The decision to constitute an SIT was announced by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

The police have information that Prajwal, who is the son of MLA and former minister HD Revanna, has left the country, according to a statement issued by the chief minister's office.

Dr Chaudhary on Thursday wrote to Siddaramaiah and state police chief Alok Mohan seeking a probe into the videos that are in circulation in Hassan.

Through his election agent, Prajwal has lodged a complaint with the authorities that the videos are "doctored" and being circulated to tarnish his image ahead of the elections.

Home minister G Parameshwara told reporters: “In case he (Prajwal) has gone to the foreign country, SIT will be responsible for bringing him back and continuing the investigation. We will not tell the SIT to do the investigation this or that way.”

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said, “....we are hanging our heads in shame."

“I saw in the media that he has ‘escaped'. This is an unpardonable crime. It is a matter of shame. He is an MP and the grandson of a former Prime Minister. He represented the same constituency which the former Prime Minister had represented,” Shivakumar, also state Congress chief, said.

The government order on the SIT said the investigation will include those who perpetrated sexual crime, those who filmed it and then made it public.

It said already an FIR has been lodged at the Holenarasipur police station under section 354(A) (sexual harassment), 354(D) (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code, which the SIT will investigate in detail.

The order said all the cases pertaining to this incident registered in various parts of the state should be transferred to the SIT, which will utilise the resources of the CID during the investigation.