Suspended Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna was arrested at the Bengaluru airport upon his arrival from Germany in the early hours of Friday weeks after he was accused of mass sexual assault.
Revanna, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate for the Hassan Lok Sabha seat, left for Germany on April 27 a day after polling was held and shortly after thousands of his videos emerged. Some women in the videos have since accused Prajwal of sexually assaulting them.
A special investigation team (SIT) formed to probe the allegations took him into custody before his questioning. An SIT officer said Revanna, the member of Parliament from Hassan, would first undergo a medical examination at Bengaluru’s Bowring Hospital. He added that Revanna would later be presented before a magistrate for his custody. The SIT seized Revanna’s mobile phone and two suitcases.
Interpol informed SIT, Bengaluru Police, and immigration authorities about his return on Thursday afternoon.
Revanna’s anticipatory bail plea in a Bengaluru session court was separately scheduled to be heard on Friday. In the plea, he denied all allegations, suggesting they were politically motivated. “The electronic evidence presented is fabricated to support a false case,” the plea said.
The plea said Revanna had a good relationship with his accuser, a political activist involved in his recent election campaign. “Prajwal is shocked by the wild allegations in the complaint,” it said. He blamed political rivalry and envy for the accusations.
Revanna maintained his travel abroad was pre-planned and unrelated to the charges. “Having participated in the election process on April 26, 2024, Prajwal left the country as scheduled. However, a smear campaign was orchestrated against Prajwal and his father, leading to the false accusations,” the plea said.
JD(S) suspended Revanna, who issued a video statement this week saying he would present himself before the SIT at 10am on May 31, after allegations of sexual assault were made against him.
Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara on Thursday said Revanna will be arrested upon landing in India as reports indicated that the suspended JD(S) leader was due to arrive from Germany early on Friday. He added the government was aware of Revanna’s booking on a Munich-Bengaluru Lufthansa flight.
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