The survivor, abused for three years, said she had not complained till now out of fear but decided to do so because an SIT has been formed.
Prajwal Revanna. (Supplied)
A former member of Hassan Zilla Panchayat (ZP) has accused Prajwal Revanna of raping her multiple times over three years and video graphing the alleged crime.
A case was registered by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Karnataka Police based on the statement by a 44-year-old survivor on Wednesday, 1 May.
FIR is registered under sections 376 (2)(n)(commits rape repeatedly on same woman), 354(a)(1) (physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures), 354(b) (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe) and 354(c) (voyeurism) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 66(e) (violation of privacy) of Information Technology Act.
Scores of explicit video clips allegedly involving the 33-year-old MP had started making the rounds in Hassan in recent days.
He is the NDA candidate in the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency where polling was held on 26 April. Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned for Prajwal Revanna and sought votes for him.
The Congress-led Karnataka government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case and registered a rape case against Prajwal Revanna on Friday.
The survivor was a Zilla Panchayat member and used to visit MLAs and MPs seeking funds for development works in her region
In the complaint, the woman alleged she was raped and harassed between 1 January, 2021 and 25 April, 2024, all with Prajwal Revanna threatening her with a gun.
The complainant allegedly met the MP to secure seats for female students at a government-run BCM hostel. The woman, in her statement, said that since the MP was busy, she was asked to meet him the next day.
“In 2021, I visited Prajwal Revanna’s MP quarters to get works done. He asked me to go to the first floor where many women were waiting for him. After speaking to the people on the ground floor, he came to the first floor and spoke to other women. I was the only one left finally and he asked me to come inside the room,” the complainant said.
“He held my hand, pulled me inside and locked the door. When I asked him why was he closing the door, he told me nothing would happen and made me sit on the bed. He warned that my husband should learn to speak less else face consequences. He also said that because of my husband, his mother, Bhavani Revanna, missed the MLA ticket. He told me that if my husband wants to grow politically, I should listen to him [Prajwal],” she said.
She alleged that Prajwal threatened to kill her when she resisted his attempt to rape her.
“Then, he asked me to remove my clothes and I refused and said I would scream for help. He then threatened me saying that he was carrying a gun and would not spare me and my husband.”
Prajwal allegedly proceeded to use his mobile phone to record a video of the woman removing her clothes before he raped her.
“He raped me and sexually assaulted me and recorded the act on his mobile phone,” the survivor said.
“He threatened to leak the video if I ever spoke about it and told me to be available whenever he wanted. After that, he used to video call me frequently, ask me to be naked during the call and raped me on multiple instances.”
She added that she had not complained till now out of fear but decided to do so now because an SIT has been formed to probe the allegations against Prajwal Revanna.
This is the third FIR in the case involving Prajwal Revanna and his father, JD(S) MLA HD Revanna. On Thursday, HD Revanna was booked after a complainant said he, through his aide, had kidnapped a woman allegedly raped by Prajwal Revanna.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil)
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