New twist in Karnataka sex scandal: Woman alleges she was forced to file false case
Prajwal Revanna
In a twist to theKarnataka sex video scandal involving JD (S) parliamentarian Prajwal Revanna, India's National Commission for Women (NCW) said on Thursday (May 9) that one of the complainants in the case has claimed that she was forced to lodge a false complaint.
The complainant informed that a group of people claiming to be cops forced her to lodge a false complaint after being threatened with harassment.
NCW further stated that the woman has sought protection for her and her family.
Following the revelation, former chief minister and JD (S) state President HD Kumaraswamy on Thursday accused the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case of threatening the victims with prostitution to extract false statements.
Kumaraswamy said, “The SIT officers are threatening the victims that if they don't make statements in favour of the Congress government, they will be charged with prostitution.”
"The investigating officers are visiting the victims and threatening them. Isn't it true that SIT officers are intimidating the victims with the threat of false prostitution charges? Is this how the investigation is being carried out?" asked Kumaraswamy, a former chief minister of the southern state.
"Where is the woman who was rescued from the kidnapping. Why hasn't she been brought before the court? Do you support the distribution of private videos involving the victims?" Kumaraswamy asked Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, who previously described the sex video row as the biggest sex scandal in the world.
Who is Prajwal Revanna, embroiled in the sex scandal?
Prajwal Revanna is the grandson of former prime minister and JD (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda. Prajwal defeated BJP's A Manju by 140,000 votes in Hassan in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
He is seeking re-election from the seat as the BJP-JD(S) alliance's joint candidate and is facing competition from 31-year-old Congress candidate Shreyas M Patel, who is the grandson of Puttaswamy Gowda.
As per his election affidavit, Revanna declared assets worth Rs 408.5 millionwhich displayed a substantial increase in his assets from 2019.
His father H D Revanna, who is the elder son of Deve Gowda, is a former minister and an MLA from Holenarsipura.
As the controversy erupted, Prajwal Revanna flew to Germany on the morning of April 28.
(With inputs from agencies)