"six other maids would say they were scared of Prajwal."
Indian MP Prajwal Revanna is under investigation for allegedly sexually assaulting hundreds of women in Karnataka, with purported videos of the abuse circulating online.
An official from his office has denied the allegations, insisting the videos are edited.
His father HD Revanna, who is a legislator in the Karnataka state assembly, is also a named accused in the police complaint.
The complaint was filed by a former employee of the family.
HD Revanna has also denied the allegations, calling them a political conspiracy.
The Janata Dal (Secular) announced it was suspending Prajwal Revanna. The party was founded by Revanna’s grandfather HD Deve Gowda, a former Indian prime minister.
Karnataka’s Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah said that a special investigation team (SIT) will look into the case.
The allegations first came to light in June 2023 but Revanna obtained a court order that prevented the media from reporting what was described as “morphed videos”.
But five days before the April 26, 2024, voting in Hassan, thousands of pen drives were circulated in public places such as bus stands and parks.
The clips, reportedly filmed by Revanna, showed the faces of the women he had allegedly abused.
Following a complaint from a woman, Karnataka’s women’s commission chief Nagalakshmi Chaudhary wrote to the state police chief seeking action against the perpetrators.
She said: “Your blood boils when you see some of the videos.
“There is one woman who is begging… ‘please don’t, please don’t’. You feel sick.”
A woman who worked as the family cook and identified herself as a cousin of Revanna’s mother filed a police complaint alleging that she was sexually abused by the MP and his father.
In her complaint, she said: “When I joined, six other maids would say they were scared of Prajwal.
“The male employees, too, would ask us to be wary of [HD] Revanna and his son Prajwal.
“Whenever his wife was away, [HD] Revanna would repeatedly touch me inappropriately, disrobe me and sexually assault me.
“While I was working in the kitchen, Prajwal would grope me from behind.”
The woman said she decided to come forward after watching clips of other victims online.
She also accused Revanna of abusing her daughter and his father of stalking and criminal intimidation.
According to police, Revanna has left the country and some reports say he is in Germany.
However, his father denied the claim and said they were willing to face the investigation.
He said: “We won’t run away scared. We’re right here. We’ll counter these charges as per the law.”
The case has sparked outrage in Karnataka.
Many questioned how someone “accused of such a horrific act” was allowed to leave without questioning.
A state minister wrote on X, asking Narendra Modi to explain why the alliance had fielded Prajwal Revanna for the election “knowing that hundreds of women had been abused by the candidate”.
A local BJP leader, G Devaraje Gowda, had written to the state leadership in December 2023, asking that Prajwal Revanna or any family should not be fielded as a candidate of the alliance because of the videos.
The JD(S) has also distanced itself from the two politicians.
HD Revanna’s brother, former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, called them “an embarrassment to society”.
He said: “Don’t blame the family. HD Revanna and his family are separate. I don’t keep track of his movements.”
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