New Delhi: The spectre of sexual crimes is never really far away from Indian politics. Election season just makes it harder to sweep cases under the rug. The 2024 Lok Sabha election has been swept by thousands of “videos” of sexual crimes—from rape to molestation—allegedly committed by Prajwal Revanna, JD(S) Karnataka leader and Hassan MP. The grandson of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda has fled to Germany on a diplomatic passport, even as woman after woman opens up about the terror that went on for years in this parliamentary constituency, a JD(S) bastion since 2004.
Three FIRs have been lodged in the case. One JD(S) worker has alleged repeated rape, while a man claimed that HD Revanna ‘kidnapped’ his mother.
Prajwal’s alleged crimes go back several years, if not decades, and have once again sparked an important conversation on women’s safety and the conduct of powerful politicians.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has called the allegations against Prajwal a case of ‘mass rape’ and has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise to the nation for asking people to vote for a “mass rapist”. Meanwhile, the BJP has sought to put the Congress in the dock, asking why its Karnataka government did not take action against the MP.
While asking for cancellation of Revanna’s diplomatic passport, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said the BJP fielded him from Hassan while “knowing fully well that he is a rapist”. Congress minister Ramappur Timmapur went so far to compare Prajwal with Hindu deity Krishna, saying the Hassan MP wanted to break Krishna’s record of being with multiple women.
The BJP has distanced itself from its ally, with the party’s Karnataka chief BY Vijayendra, saying it’s ‘unfair’ to accuse BJP high command of being aware of Prajwal’s wrongdoing. Even party supporters like filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri questioned the media for not covering the case ferociously.
Accounts of politicians on X show they’ve used Prajwal Revanna’s case to target the BJP, and his apparent ‘protection’ for so long. Posts on the gravity of the situation and concerns over safety of women are missing from the conversation.
The case has caused a serial implosion in the Janata Dal (Secular) and threatens to bring down a powerful political family. In the middle of the general election, all eyes are now on the little town of Holenarsipur in Hassan district, to see how this case unfolds.
For this reason, Prajwal Revanna is ThePrint’s Newsmaker of the Week.
A harrowing account
Sexual crimes committed by men in power are a regular feature in Indian politics. In 2021, former minister in the Karnataka government, Ramesh Jarkiholi, allegedly sexually abused a woman on the promise of giving her a job at the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (KPTCL). Earlier, in 2018, at least three JD(U) and one BJP leaders, all of whom had held ministerial posts in the Bihar government in the past, were questioned for their proximity to the main accused in the Muzaffarpur shelter home case, in which 19 men were later convicted of raping more than 40 minor girls and young women over a sustained period. Similarly, the cases involving former UP MLA Kuldip Singh Sengar and MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh show how deep the rot is and why matters of sexual assault drag on when powerful men in politics are accused of the crimes.
So when Prajwal’s case was first reported, JD(S) workers tried to trivialise it. HD Revanna, Prajwal’s father who himself is accused of molesting and abducting women, first insinuated that the opposition was trying to create an issue out of videos that were “4-5 years old”.
It was not easy for these allegations to surface. BJP leader Devaraje Gowda had reportedly alerted senior leaders in the party about the videos. Finally, pen drives containing the abuse videos were left on buses and at railway stations to be distributed among the people. This has revealed the identity of the women who feature in the abuse videos, making them vulnerable in society. In an explosive video statement, Prajwal’s driver Karthik Gowda has also made various allegations against the MP, who is contesting from the Hassan constituency again.
Activists in the area are trying to approach victims to lodge complaints, but the women are reluctant to come forward. Even if this is the beginning of the Deve Gowda family’s fall from power, fear grips the people of Hassan. After all, the family has been in power in the area for 45 years and has held the highest offices in the country.
An all-powerful family
The family of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda is all-powerful in Hassan. Prajwal Revanna is a sitting MP. His brother Suraj Revanna is a Member of the Legislative Council, his father HD Revanna is the current MLA. His uncle HD Kumaraswamy is the former Chief Minister of Karnataka, while his mother, Bhavani Revanna, is a member of the Zila Parishad.
The family is among the most powerful political dynasties not only in Karnataka but in India as well. And they’re well-aware of it. Recently, Bhavani Revanna made headlines after telling a biker who had crashed into her luxury SUV that he should have chosen a bus to die under, not her car. This was dubbed ‘post-surgery stress’.
An FIR has been lodged against Prajwal, and a Special investigation Team has been formed and is headed by IPS BK Singh, who also headed the Gauri Lankesh murder investigation.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has asked the Centre to revoke the diplomatic passport of Prajwal, who has fled to Germany, and bring him back to face trial. Prajwal has issued a statement to the SIT that he’ll be back in a week to talk to the investigative agencies and insists that he is innocent. The police have issued a lookout circular against him.
In the FIR, a woman who allegedly worked as a cook in his house detailed the culture of fear that prevailed. Women warned each other not to go to Prajwal when he was alone. The complainant was allegedly subjected to molestation on a regular basis.
It would be a disservice to the women of Hassan to look at Prajwal’s alleged abuse of power as a ‘sex scandal’. Allegations against him showcase what ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’ actually means.
(Edited by Prashant)
If this isn’t a media trial, then what is it?