Prajwal Revanna Arrested by Female Officers at the Bengaluru Airport
Revanna was handed up to the SIT by airport security and then escorted to the Bengaluru CID office.
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Suspended JD(S) leader Revanna, returns to India, being taken to the Special Investigation Team, Bengaluru. Credits - (PTI)
Written by Sweety Mohanta and Fathima Usmaan
Suspended JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna landed at Bengaluru airport on Thursday night after arriving from Munich, Germany, and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the claims against Prajwal apprehended him as soon as he arrived. Revanna was handed up to the SIT by airport security and then escorted to the Bengaluru CID office.
A Special Court for Elected Representatives has begun considering the Prajwal Revanna case. Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna has now been placed under six days of police custody by the Bengaluru court. According to ANI, the Hassan MP appeared before Justice KN Shivakumar. The court has postponed its decision on the 15-day police detention request for Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna. Rather, in the initial FIR against Revanna in Holenarasipura, defence lawyer G Arun had recommended that he be placed under one day of imprisonment.
He was transferred to Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in the city, escorted by female police officers.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara made a statement on suspended JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna’s arrest on May 31st. Credit - ANI
According to the Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara, “This whole episode itself is about so many women. Naturally, SIT would have thought to put only women to arrest him (Prajwal Revanna) and take charge of legal proceedings to send out a message to women that 'we are there with you'." When questioned about whether the government would encourage other victims to come forward in light of Prajwal's arrest, the Home Minister replied, "We have already said, those who have faced trouble from him to come forward and give complaints to SIT and police, and we will provide them all kind of protection. We will have to wait and see further developments."
On the SIT's request, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sent out a ‘Blue Corner Notice’ to Interpol, asking them to locate him. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday that it had "instituted action under provisions in the Passport Act 1967 for revocation of Prajwal Revanna's diplomatic passport. On May 23, we sent a show cause notice to the passport bearer, giving him ten working days to answer. We are waiting for his response and will proceed once we hear from him or after the 10-day time expires."
Half-burned poster of Prajwal Revanna. Credit - PTI
The 33-year-old Hassan MP is accused of sexual assault and criminal intimidation by a woman who used to work at his home. Earlier this month, his father HD Revanna was arrested on sexual assault and kidnapping allegations in a case involving the Hassan MP.
The Times of India reported that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah opposes government meddling and backs the Special Investigation Team's probe into MP Prajwal Revanna's alleged sexual assault. In his letter, he described it as "shameful" that the PM Modi-led NDA candidate from Hassan constituency, fled to Germany on April 27 using his diplomatic passport. On May 22, 2024, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had again written a letter to the Prime Minister to cancel the diplomatic passport of Prajwal Revanna.
With Revanna's arrest, all eyes will be on what the Congress has to say regarding the charges made against the MP during the Lok Sabha elections. It would be interesting to see how the BJP responds to this incident in the future and how the case affects BJP-JD(S) relations.
