‘Sex scandal, exploitation of women by a prominent politician in Hassan,’ alleges Karnataka Women’s Commission

Hours after the videos went viral, none of the victims appeared to have come forward to register a complaint against the accused politician.

However, the KSCW took cognizance of the videos and wrote to the chief minister and Hassan’s superintendent of police (SP) demanding a detailed probe and action against the preparators.

The members of the commission claim that thousands of women were blackmailed into indulging in a physical relationship with the politician.

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The demand

In the letter addressed to the chief minister, the commission’s Chairperson Dr Nagalakshmi Chowdry said: “Reports of sexual violence against women are being published in mass media.”

She added that a USB drive was being circulated in Hassan district and thousands of innocent girls are being used for sexual acts, with private videos being circulated on mobile phones to blackmail them.

After purported private videos of #Hassan’s prominent politician were leaked, #Karnataka State Commission for Women has written a letter to CM @siddaramaiah demanding a special investigation team be set up to probe the politician for reportedly compelling several women to indulge… pic.twitter.com/ayiOfLxvXq

— South First (@TheSouthfirst) April 25, 2024

She added that clips of an influential politician sexually exploiting many women and even raping some of them were now in the hands of the common people.

Chowdry noted that this was a humiliation for the entire society, with reports being published about the destruction of women’s lives and dignity.

She added: “The KSWC has received requests from various organisations to take appropriate action in this regard.”

She also said that the person who shot the video and the person(s) who made it public should be punished. She called for a special investigation team to be set up to quickly find those who were harming the dignity and existence of women.

Chowdry later told South First: “This is a heinous incident, which has pushed thousands of women’s lives into the danger zone. This also appears to be a bigger sex scandal.”

She confirmed that the commission had demanded that the chief minister to set up a special probe team to investigate the matter.

“We have not filed any police complaint. We requested the Hassan SP to meet the victims and conduct a detailed probe into the politician and the person(s) who leaked these videos,” she added.

“None of the victims have contacted us so far. If anyone comes forward, we will fight to get justice for them,” said the KSCW chairperson.

(Edited by Arkadev Ghoshal)