Bengaluru:

Janata Dal Secular MP and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s grandson Prajwal Revanna, who is at the centre of a political storm over Karnataka sex tapes case, could be returning to Bengaluru tomorrow.

NDTV has accessed a Munich-Bengaluru ticket on a Lufthansa Airlines flight that is scheduled to land at 12.30 am tomorrow. The ticket mentions Prajwal Revanna as a business class passenger.

This ticket, it is learnt, is believed to have been booked on the same day when the 33-year-old MP booked a ticket to Germany. This was a day before an FIR was registered against him. In the wake of the allegations, Revanna had said in a social media post on May 1, “As I am not in Bangalore to attend the enquiry, I have communicated to C.I.D Bangalore through my Advocate. Truth will prevail soon.”

It must, however, be noted that quite a booked in the name of Prajwal Revanna have surfaced in the past few weeks. All of them have turned out to be false alarm. But in no mood to take chances, Karnataka police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the high-profile case, has alerted airport authorities to keep an eye out. A lookout notice and a Blue Corner notice have been issued to track Revanna down.

In a political bomb that dropped in the middle of the election season, hundreds of explicit videos allegedly featuring Prajwal Revanna, JDS candidate for Hassan Lok Sabha seat, leaked late last month. Soon after, an SIT was formed to investigate the case. The JDS leader, who has now been suspended by the party, faces multiple cases of rape, sexual harassment, voyeurism and criminal intimidation.

His father and Mr Deve Gowda’s son HD Revanna, a JDS legislator, had been arrested in one of these cases and is now out on bail. The veteran leader faces a kidnapping case, in which a man has alleged that he was involved in kidnapping his mother, who worked as a house help at his home for six years. The complainant has alleged that a video showing Prajwal Revanna sexually abusing his mother leaked recently and his mother went missing soon after.

HD Revanna has termed the case a “political conspiracy”. In my 40 years of political life, I have never seen anything like this,” he has said.

The sex tapes case has, meanwhile, snowballed into a full-blown political slugfest as the JDS has alleged a conspiracy and the Congress has used the row to attack BJP, which has tied up with the JDS for this Lok Sabha election.

Prajwal Revanna’s uncle and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy has alleged that a “big whale” was behind leaking the sex tapes. His swipe was apparently directed at Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.

The Congress leader responded, “I am neither director nor producer. I am only an exhibitor, theatre exhibitor.” On Mr Kumaraswamy’s allegations that HD Revanna was arrested to defame Mr Deve Gowda, Mr Shivakumar said, “Not at all. See, I too feel sorry for him (Revanna). I, too, feel that such things should not happen. It’s such a big family. Let them think whatever they want but I don’t wish anything bad for anyone and I don’t need it.”

Countering the Congress’s charge at the BJP over the allegations against ally JDS’ leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said there should be zero tolerance for someone like Prajwal Revanna, and accused the Congress government in Karnataka of allowing the JDS MP to leave the country.

Bengaluru:

Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara on Wednesday turned down former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s demand for a CBI probe into the sexual harassment case against JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna.

He said the state government’s CID is competent enough to investigate the case.

“Kumaraswamy had raised over 100 questions. I cannot answer all of them. He had asked for the CBI probe, which we will not do. The SIT is competent. I have said that we will get a proper investigation done,” the Home Minister said.

According to Mr Parameshwara, three people have been arrested so far in a case related to the kidnapping of a woman, who is a mother of three, in which Holenarasipura JD(S) MLA and Prajwal’s father H D Revanna is also an accused and presently in the jail serving the judicial custody.

Prajwal Revanna is the son of former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda. His son Prajwal, who is under investigation for multiple cases of sexual harassment of women, has reportedly fled the country and is absconding.

Regarding the progress in the investigation, the home minister said three people have been arrested, including Revanna and his aide Sathish Babanna.

He declined to share the details of the third person saying that disclosing the name would affect the investigation.

To a question whether there will be any investigation against those who leaked the videos, Parameshwara said, “We do not wish to hide anything. The probe will also cover the circulation of the pen drive.” “Kumaraswamy has alleged that policemen have distributed it. Which police distributed it and where are the aspects we have to look into? The SIT will decide whether to issue any notice to Kumaraswamy on his charges,” Mr Parameshwara explained.

He said the government trusts the SIT and will wait for its report to be submitted.

On Kumaraswamy’s demand to investigate Rahul Gandhi for his statement that 400 women were raped, Parameshwara said that it would be the decision of the SIT.

On not arresting Karthik Gowda, driver of Prajwal Revanna, who is believed to have had the pen drive containing explicit videos allegedly involving the MP and several women, Mr Parameshwara said there should be clear evidence to arrest someone.

“Until we receive evidence, we cannot arrest Karthik or Devaraje Gowda (BJP leader),” the minister said.

On giving protection to Karthik or Devaraje Gowda, Mr Parameshwara said that protection would be extended only to the women who were victims and nobody else. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)