Janata Dal (Secular) announced on Tuesday (Apr 30) that Prajwal Revanna was suspended from the party amid a sex scandal,&nbsp;allegedly showing the parliamentarian from south Indian state of Karnataka&nbsp;sexually assaulting multiple women.

Revanna, 33, is the BJP-JD (S) alliance candidate for the Lok Sabha elections&nbsp;from the Hassan constituency, which went to the polls on Friday (Apr 26).

The scandal involves hundreds of explicit videos that were reportedly recorded by Revanna, the grandson of JD (S) chief and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, which were widely circulated in his Hassan constituency.

Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/deve-gowdas-grandson-sex-scandal-woman-alleges-used-to-sexually-assault-in-storeroom-remove-saree-pins-716157" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/deve-gowdas-grandson-sex-scandal-woman-alleges-used-to-sexually-assault-in-storeroom-remove-saree-pins-716157&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiJhqeEuOmFAxU9cmwGHZyWD8QQFnoECAAQAg&amp;usg=AOvVaw0B58M-es9iwcOePxX7qRuI&amp;arm=e" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/deve-gowdas-grandson-sex-scandal-woman-alleges-used-to-sexually-assault-in-storeroom-remove-saree-pins-716157" target="_blank">Deve Gowda's grandson&nbsp;Prajwal Revanna&nbsp;sex scandal</a>

A woman filed a police complaint against Prajwal Revanna, accusing him of sexual assault. She claimed she had been sexually abused on several occasions between 2019 and 2022.

The complainant&nbsp;claimed that Prajwal Revanna misbehaved with her daughter over a video call and had vulgar conversations&nbsp;with her.&nbsp;

As per the complaint, the women has claimed that both Prajwal Revanna and his father HD Revanna had sexually assaulted her.

The case against Revanna has been registered under sections 354A, 354D, 506, and 509 of the IPC on charges of sexual harassment, intimidation and outraging the dignity of a woman.

An SIT or special investigation team has started probe into the case.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women has taken suo motu cognizance in the Prajwal Revanna case and has asked the Karnataka director general of police to submit a detailed report.

Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/videos/india-prajwal-revanna-accused-of-sexual-assault-sit-will-request-him-to-come-back-to-india-716493" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/videos/india-prajwal-revanna-accused-of-sexual-assault-sit-will-request-him-to-come-back-to-india-716493&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiJhqeEuOmFAxU9cmwGHZyWD8QQFnoECAUQAg&amp;usg=AOvVaw3bfHVof64oOV8e4x6oeQhk&amp;arm=e" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/india-prajwal-revanna-accused-of-sexual-assault-sit-will-request-him-to-come-back-to-india-716493" target="_blank">India:&nbsp;Prajwal Revanna&nbsp;accused of 'sexual assault'</a>

Revanna left for Germany on Saturday morning, after the videos of him emerged online.

Earlier on Monday,&nbsp; JD (S)&nbsp;supremo HD Kumaraswamy announced that the party has decided to suspend his nephew Prajwal Revanna over allegations of sexual abuse.

Prajwal Revanna: Who is the Karnataka MP embroiled in the sex scandal?

After completing his education, Revanna embarked on a journey into the political field.

In 2015, he was selected as one of the 10 young politicians in India by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, UK, offering him exposure to the British governance system.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-election-2024/lok-sabha-elections-2024-live-updates-716513">Lok Sabha elections 2024 LIVE: Karnataka MP Prajwal Revanna suspended from JDS</a>

Prajwal faced a setback in 2018 when his uncle, HD Kumaraswamy, denied him a ticket in the elections, leading to a familial dispute.&nbsp;

In 2019, Revanna contested and won the Hassan Lok Sabha seat, previously held by Deve Gowda.

(With inputs from agencies)

Janata Dal (Secular) announced on Tuesday (Apr 30) that Prajwal Revanna was suspended from the party amid a sex scandal, allegedly showing the parliamentarian from south Indian state of Karnataka sexually assaulting multiple women.

Janata Dal (Secular) announced on Tuesday (Apr 30) that Prajwal Revanna was suspended from the party amid a sex scandal, allegedly showing the parliamentarian from south Indian state of Karnataka sexually assaulting multiple women. Revanna, 33, is the BJP-JD (S) alliance candidate for the Lok Sabha elections from the Hassan constituency, which went to the polls on Friday (Apr 26). The scandal involves hundreds of explicit videos that were reportedly recorded by Revanna, the grandson of JD (S) chief and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, which were widely circulated in his Hassan constituency. Also read: Deve Gowda's grandson Prajwal Revanna sex scandal A woman filed a police complaint against Prajwal Revanna, accusing him of sexual assault. She claimed she had been sexually abused on several occasions between 2019 and 2022. The complainant claimed that Prajwal Revanna misbehaved with her daughter over a video call and had vulgar conversations with her. As per the complaint, the women has claimed that both Prajwal Revanna and his father HD Revanna had sexually assaulted her. The case against Revanna has been registered under sections 354A, 354D, 506, and 509 of the IPC on charges of sexual harassment, intimidation and outraging the dignity of a woman. An SIT or special investigation team has started probe into the case. Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women has taken suo motu cognizance in the Prajwal Revanna case and has asked the Karnataka director general of police to submit a detailed report. Also read: India: Prajwal Revanna accused of 'sexual assault' Revanna left for Germany on Saturday morning, after the videos of him emerged online. Earlier on Monday, JD (S) supremo HD Kumaraswamy announced that the party has decided to suspend his nephew Prajwal Revanna over allegations of sexual abuse. Prajwal Revanna: Who is the Karnataka MP embroiled in the sex scandal? After completing his education, Revanna embarked on a journey into the political field. In 2015, he was selected as one of the 10 young politicians in India by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, UK, offering him exposure to the British governance system. Also read: Lok Sabha elections 2024 LIVE: Karnataka MP Prajwal Revanna suspended from JDS Prajwal faced a setback in 2018 when his uncle, HD Kumaraswamy, denied him a ticket in the elections, leading to a familial dispute. In 2019, Revanna contested and won the Hassan Lok Sabha seat, previously held by Deve Gowda. (With inputs from agencies)

Prajwal Revanna suspended from JD (S) over sexual abuse allegations

Cynthia Ritchie was making headlines earlier this year. In June, the Pakistan-based American blogger had accused a former Pakistani Prime Minister of assault. She had also claimed that a Former Minister had raped her.

Three months on, Cynthia Ritchie has been asked to leave Pakistan and Islamabad has refused to extend her visa.

The blogger has been given a 15-day deadline to pack her bags and leave but she leaves behind a series of questions starting with who is she — is she a CIA agent, a journalist or&nbsp;a lobbyist? Her purpose of stay in Pakistan for nearly a decade and her close ties with Pakistan's political and military elites are still unanswered.

She is being named, shamed and blamed. Her name has become synonymous to sex and scandals in Pakistan.

A quick twitter search about Cynthia D. Ritchie leads us to her verified account. Her Twitter bio says she writes for ETribune, the news international and the South Asia magazine.

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She claims to be a blogger, but does not mind being called a journalist.

It was in May this year that Cynthia Ritchie made news when she accused Pakistan's Former Prime Minister&nbsp;Benazir Bhutto of condoning rape.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/pakistan/american-blogger-accuses-pakistans-zardari-govt-officials-of-rape-harassment-former-minister-denies-charges-303796">Also read:&nbsp;American blogger accuses Pakistan's Zardari govt officials of rape, harassment; former minister denies charges</a>

Soon, there were cybercrime complaints against her and within days, she accused PPP leaders of rape and manhandling. In the line of fire was former Interior Minister Rehman Malik. She accused him of rape.

Ritchie also accused former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani of manhandling her. The same allegations were pressed against former Health Minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZardarisFilthyPPP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ZardarisFilthyPPP</a> keeps threatening me. Why? Because they know that over the years I have been raped/assaulted by men in the highest ranks of PPP. They don't want the world to know. 
 
I have decided to go live on facebook in approximately 30 minutes &amp; continue to tell my story.
— Cynthia D. Ritchie (@CynthiaDRitchie) <a href="https://twitter.com/CynthiaDRitchie/status/1268883571210682368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
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By June 20202, the name Cynthia Ritchie was being followed by a series of questions about her identity, purpose of stay in Pakistan, her intentions and her political connections.

Cynthia D Ritchie is a 44-year-old American. She has been living in Pakistan for nearly a decade now. Some call her a showpiece of the military and it is no secret that ISPR pays foreigners to paint the military in a good light.

In one interview, Ritchie says she came to Pakistan to highlight the sense of normalcy in the nation.

She has 293,000 followers on Twitter,&nbsp;350,000 followers on Facebook and she is very popular on YouTube too. Despite her popularity, not much is known about this American woman.

On Facebook, Titchie says she is a film director. "Cynthia is a freelance director/producer/writer currently working on an international travel series," her Facebook bio reads.

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In an open letter to Facebook in 2017, Ritchie claims that she has taught social media to a government organisation several years ago. "I consider myself to be a peace activist", she says.

In 2013, Dawn listed her as one of the 10 Americans doing great things for Pakistan. It says Ritchie participated in a variety of humanitarian projects in Pakistan including flood relief, health care projects, reconstruction of high schools and a women's health clinic.

There is no clear answer for who she is or where in the US is she from. The buzz online is that she may be a CIA agent, which may not be true.

So, the questions about her identity, her contentions stay unanswered.The truth may come out once Ritchie is deported to the US within less than 15 days.

Cynthia Ritchie was making headlines earlier this year. In June, the Pakistan-based American blogger had accused a former Pakistani Prime Minister of assault. She had also claimed that a Former Minister had raped her.

Cynthia Ritchie was making headlines earlier this year. In June, the Pakistan-based American blogger had accused a former Pakistani Prime Minister of assault. She had also claimed that a Former Minister had raped her. Three months on, Cynthia Ritchie has been asked to leave Pakistan and Islamabad has refused to extend her visa. The blogger has been given a 15-day deadline to pack her bags and leave but she leaves behind a series of questions starting with who is she — is she a CIA agent, a journalist or a lobbyist? Her purpose of stay in Pakistan for nearly a decade and her close ties with Pakistan's political and military elites are still unanswered. She is being named, shamed and blamed. Her name has become synonymous to sex and scandals in Pakistan. A quick twitter search about Cynthia D. Ritchie leads us to her verified account. Her Twitter bio says she writes for ETribune, the news international and the South Asia magazine. × She claims to be a blogger, but does not mind being called a journalist. It was in May this year that Cynthia Ritchie made news when she accused Pakistan's Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of condoning rape. Also read: American blogger accuses Pakistan's Zardari govt officials of rape, harassment; former minister denies charges Soon, there were cybercrime complaints against her and within days, she accused PPP leaders of rape and manhandling. In the line of fire was former Interior Minister Rehman Malik. She accused him of rape. Ritchie also accused former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani of manhandling her. The same allegations were pressed against former Health Minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin. #ZardarisFilthyPPP keeps threatening me. Why? Because they know that over the years I have been raped/assaulted by men in the highest ranks of PPP. They don't want the world to know. I have decided to go live on facebook in approximately 30 minutes & continue to tell my story. — Cynthia D. Ritchie (@CynthiaDRitchie) June 5, 2020 × By June 20202, the name Cynthia Ritchie was being followed by a series of questions about her identity, purpose of stay in Pakistan, her intentions and her political connections. Cynthia D Ritchie is a 44-year-old American. She has been living in Pakistan for nearly a decade now. Some call her a showpiece of the military and it is no secret that ISPR pays foreigners to paint the military in a good light. In one interview, Ritchie says she came to Pakistan to highlight the sense of normalcy in the nation. She has 293,000 followers on Twitter, 350,000 followers on Facebook and she is very popular on YouTube too. Despite her popularity, not much is known about this American woman. On Facebook, Titchie says she is a film director. "Cynthia is a freelance director/producer/writer currently working on an international travel series," her Facebook bio reads. × In an open letter to Facebook in 2017, Ritchie claims that she has taught social media to a government organisation several years ago. "I consider myself to be a peace activist", she says. In 2013, Dawn listed her as one of the 10 Americans doing great things for Pakistan. It says Ritchie participated in a variety of humanitarian projects in Pakistan including flood relief, health care projects, reconstruction of high schools and a women's health clinic. There is no clear answer for who she is or where in the US is she from. The buzz online is that she may be a CIA agent, which may not be true. So, the questions about her identity, her contentions stay unanswered.The truth may come out once Ritchie is deported to the US within less than 15 days.

Cynthia D Ritchie: A journalist or a CIA agent?

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin who had been caught up in a sex abuse case, the archbishop of Reims said in a statement.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pope-tests-negative-for-coronavirus-italy-report-says-283918">Pope tests negative for coronavirus, Italy report says</a>

A French appeals court overturned in January an earlier ruling against Barbarin, in which he was convicted last year of failing to report sexual abuse charges.

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pope-francis-cancels-planned-retreat-due-to-cold-283603">Pope Francis cancels planned retreat due to 'cold'</a>

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin who had been caught up in a sex abuse case, the archbishop of Reims said in a statement.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin who had been caught up in a sex abuse case, the archbishop of Reims said in a statement. Also read: Pope tests negative for coronavirus, Italy report says A French appeals court overturned in January an earlier ruling against Barbarin, in which he was convicted last year of failing to report sexual abuse charges. Also see: Pope Francis cancels planned retreat due to 'cold'

Pope accepts resignation of cardinal Barbarin amid sex abuse case

Football's world governing body FIFA is looking into claims of sexual and physical abuse on the Afghanistan national women's team, it confirmed in a statement Saturday.

The allegations against officials including the Afghanistan Football Federation's president Keramuddin Karim were reported in Britain's Guardian newspaper. The AFF has "vigorously" rejected claims.

"The serious subjects mentioned are being looked in to by FIFA," the global body said in a statement, adding that it has a "zero tolerance policy" on such violations.

Given the sensitivity of the allegations, particularly in deeply conservative, patriarchal Afghanistan, it said it was addressing the matter in a "do no harm" way and working with reputable entities to establish the facts.

The Guardian cited what it described as senior figures associated with the women's team who said the abuse had taken place in Afghanistan, including at AFF headquarters, and at a training camp in Jordan last February.

It quotes former captain Khalida Popal, who fled the country after receiving death threats and has spoken out previously about the discrimination women face in Afghanistan, as saying male officials were "coercing" female players.

"The story is not true," Sayed Alireza Aqazada, secretary general of the AFF, told reporters in Kabul Saturday, adding: "No sexual harassment has been committed against any girl football player."

"It is easy for us to cancel or eliminate the girls football team due to the presence of the Taliban and the mullahs, but we don't want to go backwards, we support the girls football team," he continued.&nbsp;

He also disputed the Guardian's claim that Danish sportswear company Hummel had withdrawn its sponsorship due to the allegations. Hummel has not responded to queries from AFP.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the AFF also said it had not been directly contacted by the accusers and been given no information to investigate the allegations.

Afghanistan has made strides to promote female football -- as well as the national side, four years ago it launched its first all-women's football league that ran in parallel with the men's.

In 2017 the female teams were sidelined by a lack of funding.

Football's world governing body FIFA is looking into claims of sexual and physical abuse on the Afghanistan national women's team, it confirmed in a statement Saturday.

Football's world governing body FIFA is looking into claims of sexual and physical abuse on the Afghanistan national women's team, it confirmed in a statement Saturday. The allegations against officials including the Afghanistan Football Federation's president Keramuddin Karim were reported in Britain's Guardian newspaper. The AFF has "vigorously" rejected claims. "The serious subjects mentioned are being looked in to by FIFA," the global body said in a statement, adding that it has a "zero tolerance policy" on such violations. Given the sensitivity of the allegations, particularly in deeply conservative, patriarchal Afghanistan, it said it was addressing the matter in a "do no harm" way and working with reputable entities to establish the facts. The Guardian cited what it described as senior figures associated with the women's team who said the abuse had taken place in Afghanistan, including at AFF headquarters, and at a training camp in Jordan last February. It quotes former captain Khalida Popal, who fled the country after receiving death threats and has spoken out previously about the discrimination women face in Afghanistan, as saying male officials were "coercing" female players. "The story is not true," Sayed Alireza Aqazada, secretary general of the AFF, told reporters in Kabul Saturday, adding: "No sexual harassment has been committed against any girl football player." "It is easy for us to cancel or eliminate the girls football team due to the presence of the Taliban and the mullahs, but we don't want to go backwards, we support the girls football team," he continued. He also disputed the Guardian's claim that Danish sportswear company Hummel had withdrawn its sponsorship due to the allegations. Hummel has not responded to queries from AFP. In a statement on its Facebook page, the AFF also said it had not been directly contacted by the accusers and been given no information to investigate the allegations. Afghanistan has made strides to promote female football -- as well as the national side, four years ago it launched its first all-women's football league that ran in parallel with the men's. In 2017 the female teams were sidelined by a lack of funding.

FIFA investigates sex abuse claims on Afghanistan women's team

Forty allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse were made during the last three months of 2017 against United Nations peacekeeping missions, agencies, funds and programs and implementing partners, the world body said on Thursday. 
 
Of the 40 accusations, 15 were reported from peacekeeping operations, 17 came from UN&nbsp;agencies, funds and programs, while eight were reported by implementing partners, said UN&nbsp;spokesman Stephane Dujarric. 
 
&quot;Every allegation involving our personnel undermines our values and principles and the sacrifice of those who serve with pride and professionalism in some of the most dangerous places in the world,&quot; Dujarric said. 
 
He said the 40 allegations involved 54 victims - 30 women and 16 girls, while the ages of eight others are unknown. Twelve cases occurred last year, seven in 2016, three in 2015 or earlier, while the dates for the rest are unknown. 
 
Two cases have been substantiated, three not substantiated, while the rest are under investigation, Dujarric said. 
 
More than 95,000 civilians and 90,000 troops and police work for the United Nations.

The United Nations has tried to increase transparency and strengthen how it deals with such accusations during the past few years after a string of sexual exploitation and abuse charges were made against UN&nbsp;peacekeepers in Central Africa. 
 
Charities in the aid sector have recently come under the spotlight and several have pledged to overhaul their approach to dealing with allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment.

The deputy director of the United Nations children&#39;s agency UNICEF, Justin Forsyth, resigned on Thursday after Save the Children UK said concerns were raised about inappropriate comments and behaviour Forsyth in 2011 and 2015 when he was the charity&#39;s chief executive.

Of the 40 accusations, 15 were reported from peacekeeping operations, 17 came from UN agencies, while 8 were reported by implementing partners

Forty allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse were made during the last three months of 2017 against United Nations peacekeeping missions, agencies, funds and programs and implementing partners, the world body said on Thursday. Of the 40 accusations, 15 were reported from peacekeeping operations, 17 came from UN agencies, funds and programs, while eight were reported by implementing partners, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. "Every allegation involving our personnel undermines our values and principles and the sacrifice of those who serve with pride and professionalism in some of the most dangerous places in the world," Dujarric said. He said the 40 allegations involved 54 victims - 30 women and 16 girls, while the ages of eight others are unknown. Twelve cases occurred last year, seven in 2016, three in 2015 or earlier, while the dates for the rest are unknown. Two cases have been substantiated, three not substantiated, while the rest are under investigation, Dujarric said. More than 95,000 civilians and 90,000 troops and police work for the United Nations. The United Nations has tried to increase transparency and strengthen how it deals with such accusations during the past few years after a string of sexual exploitation and abuse charges were made against UN peacekeepers in Central Africa. Charities in the aid sector have recently come under the spotlight and several have pledged to overhaul their approach to dealing with allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment. The deputy director of the United Nations children's agency UNICEF, Justin Forsyth, resigned on Thursday after Save the Children UK said concerns were raised about inappropriate comments and behaviour Forsyth in 2011 and 2015 when he was the charity's chief executive.

40 sex abuse accusations received last quarter of 2017: UN