India’s southern state of Karnataka will investigate a lawmaker whose party is a key ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on suspicion of sexual harassment, the state’s chief minister has said.

The scion of a prominent political family, the lawmaker, Prajwal Revanna, 33, is the grandson of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, the nephew of a former chief minister of the state and the son of another former Karnataka minister.

The accusations surfaced last week as half of the state voted in India’s seven-phase general elections, in which Revanna was seeking a second term for his Janata Dal (Secular) party.

“The government has decided to form a special investigation team in connection with Prajwal Revanna’s obscene video case,” Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, whose Congress party is a BJP rival, said in a social media post over the weekend.

Screengrab taken from Siddaramaiah’s X account.
Screengrab taken from Siddaramaiah’s X account.

“Obscene video clips are circulating […] where it appears that women have been sexually assaulted,” he added.

Police registered a complaint against Revanna based on the statement of a woman who worked in the family home, and also named his father, HD Revanna, as a suspect, media said.

Prajwal Revanna did not respond to requests for comment, with the media saying he was out of the country.

“I will not react about anything,” his father told reporters on Monday but added the son would return when required.

“Since this has been handed over to a special investigation team, I will not say anything that will affect it,” HD Revanna added.

“He had to go on a trip and he has gone […] He will come when he is called to join the investigation.”

Opinion

Editorial

Online oppression
Updated 04 Dec, 2024

Online oppression

Plan to bring changes to Peca is simply another attempt to suffocate dissent. It shows how the state continues to prioritise control over real cybersecurity concerns.
The right call
04 Dec, 2024

The right call

AMIDST the ongoing tussle between the federal government and the main opposition party, several critical issues...
Acting cautiously
04 Dec, 2024

Acting cautiously

IT appears too big a temptation to ignore. The wider expectations for a steeper reduction in the borrowing costs...
Competing narratives
03 Dec, 2024

Competing narratives

Rather than hunting keyboard warriors, it would be better to support a transparent probe into reported deaths during PTI protest.
Early retirement
03 Dec, 2024

Early retirement

THE government is reportedly considering a proposal to reduce the average age of superannuation by five years to 55...
Being differently abled
03 Dec, 2024

Being differently abled

A SOCIETY comes of age when it does not normalise ‘othering’. As we observe the International Day of Persons ...