Bengaluru: The Karnataka police have charged former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna with raping a 47-year-old former househelp and sexually harassing her married daughter. He is also accused of filming the act and destroying the evidence from his mobile phone.
Additionally, Prajwal's father H D Revanna, a JD(S) MLA from Holenarasipura, has been charged with groping the housemaid on multiple occasions. This is the first charge sheet that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has filed in the Hassan sexual abuse case, which came to light amid the Lok Sabha elections in April this year and made global headlines.
While Prajwal is alleged to have sexually assaulted dozens of women, he has been named in only four FIRs so far. The SIT has filed the charge sheet in the first FIR, registered at the Holenarasipura police station on April 28.
Prajwal fled India for Germany on April 26, days after flash drives containing his sexual exploits were distributed at bus stands and other public places in the Hassan district. He was arrested upon return to India on May 31 and lost the Hassan parliamentary election four days later.
He is currently in judicial custody at Bengaluru's Parappana Agrahara prison. The SIT's charge sheet lists three specific incidents of sexual assault perpetrated by Prajwal and one by Revanna, between 2020 and 2021. The hosuemaid worked at Revanna's residence in Holenarasipura from 2019 to 2022.
According to the charge sheet, in 2020, Prajwal allegedly assaulted the victim at his family's home by pulling at her sari, grabbing her from behind and touching her stomach area. He also forced her into phone sex multiple times.
Another incident in 2020 occurred at a relative’s house in Bengaluru’s Basavanagudi area, where Prajwal locked the bedroom door, confronted the victim about avoiding him, then removed her blouse, raped her and threatened to kill her husband and daughter if she spoke out.
He filmed the entire act on his phone, according to the charge sheet.
Prajwal has been charged under IPC Sections 376, 376(2)(k), 354, 354(A), 354(B), 354(D), 506, 509, and Section 66 of the IT Act. In 2020-21, Prajwal also allegedly sexually harassed the housemaid’s married daughter, forcing her to undress during a WhatsApp video call and taking a screenshot.
He faces charges under IPC Sections 354(A), 354(B), 354(D), 506, 509, and Section 66 of the IT Act for this incident. The charge sheet accuses Revanna of making sexual advances towards the housemaid on multiple occasions at his Holenarasipura residence.