JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has accused Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar of conspiracy just before polls. Kumaraswamy claimed that 25,000 pen drives containing videos allegedly showing women being sexually abused, allegedly by his nephew Lok Sabha candidate Prajwal Revanna, were distributed just ahead of polling.
Additionally, Kumaraswamy raised questions on the credibility of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Congress government on April 28 to investigate the charges against Prajwal, following the circulation of videos allegedly involving him on social media.
“It is not a Special Investigation Team but ‘Siddaramaiah Investigation Team’ and ‘Shivakumar Investigation Team’,” the JD(S) second-in-command, who is the son of party supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, alleged.
MLA HD Revanna and his son, Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, have been booked for molesting their cook. Additionally, HD Revanna has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping a woman who claims to have been sexually assaulted by Prajwal. Another case involves accusations of rape against Prajwal.
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Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy claimed the pen drives were circulated by police officers who were “threatened to do it”.
“It (pen drive carrying videos) was released in Bengaluru Rural constituency (where the Congress candidate in the Lok Sabha elections is D Suresh, who is the brother of Shivakumar). This was an April 21 development. On April 22, Poornachandra, our polling agent, gave a complaint to the District Deputy Commissioner, who is the Returning Officer,” the JD(S) leader said.
Also Read:Karnataka sexual abuse case: SIT arrests JD-S MLA HD Revanna in kidnapping case
“Poornachandra received a message at 8 pm on April 21 asking people to ‘follow a WhatsApp channel to see Prajwal Revanna’s sleaze video’. There was a message on this WhatsApp channel, ‘Countdown for the release of Prajwal’s sleaze videos’, Kumaraswamy further added.
Kumaraswamy claims Naveen Gowda sent the ‘countdown’ message.
In his complaint to the Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police of Hassan district, Poornachandra named five individuals, including Naveen Gowda, Karthik Gowda (Revanna’s driver), Chethan, and Puttaraju alias Putty, according to Kumaraswamy.
Kumaraswamy expressed concern over the lack of action taken against these five individuals, despite the complaint being lodged on April 21. He demanded their immediate arrest, accusing them of “mortgaging the modesty” of women in the videos.
He further alleged that 25,000 pen drives had been distributed across the state, citing a report from a regional newspaper to support his assertion.
“My question here is why no action was taken. If someone posts something on social media, immediately houses are searched and the person is made to sit in the police station. Why no action was taken against these five people despite a complaint?” he asked.
He highlighted Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s confident assertion that all three JD(S) candidates in the Lok Sabha elections would be defeated, which, according to Kumaraswamy, raises suspicions about broader involvement.
Kumaraswamy further stated that on April 25, Karnataka State Commission for Women Chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhary wrote to Siddaramaiah, urging an SIT probe into tapes allegedly showing Prajwal engaging in sexual misconduct. The same night, Kumaraswamy claimed, Siddaramaiah approved and ordered the formation of an SIT.