The woman, 47, has also named Holenarasipur MLA HD Revanna, Prajwal's father, as a suspect. The case has been registered at Holenarasipur police station in Hassan district of Karnataka.
Revanna, the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, and whose father, HD Revanna, is a former minister, is seeking another term in the Lok Sabha from Hassan's seat. The constituency went to polls during the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 26. JD(S) is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka.
Revanna filed a complaint on April 28, claiming that the viral videos are 'distorted' and are being spread to 'tarnish his image and poison the minds of the voters'.
Also read: Prajwal Revanna 'called women in storeroom and removed saree pins': Victim shares ordeal in 'sex scandal' case
This is not the first time that a politician has been accused of crimes against women in India. India has a history of influential politicians being accused of sexual crimes.
134 lawmakers were charged with sex crimes
As many as 134 sitting Members of Parliament (MP) and Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLA) have cases related to crimes against women, including 21 MPs and 113 MLAs, according to an August 2023 report by election watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). ). The ADR analyzed 762 sitting MPs and 4,001 sitting MLAs.
Among the parties, the BJP had 44 legislators (MPs and MLAs) against whom cases of “crimes against women” have been registered. This included seven BJP MPs. Congress had 25, followed by AAP with 13 sitting MPs or MLAs who have declared cases related to crimes against women.
Here are some prominent politicians who have been accused of sex crimes in the past, before Prajwal Revanna.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh – January 2023
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the sitting Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Kaiserganj in UP, is facing allegations of sexual harassment. Six top female wrestlers testified against him in an FIR. The allegations relate to Brij Bhushan's term as president of the Wrestling Federation of India.
Also read: Lok Sabha elections 2024: Will Brij Bhushan contest from UP's Kaiserganj? Ex-WFI chief says he is 'strong contender…'
Last week, a Delhi court rejected Singh's request for further probe into the sexual harassment case. The court is expected to announce its decision on charging the BJP MP in the case on May 7.
Karan Morwal – September 2022
In 2022, Karan Morwal, son of former Badnagar Congress MLA Murli Morwal, was expelled by the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) for six years over rape charges filed against him. Karan was arrested in October 2021 after a woman filed a rape complaint against him at the women's police station in Indore. On March 6, 2024, Karan posted pictures of himself with Digvijay Singh and other Congress leaders.
Kuldeep Singh Sengar – June 2017
Former BJP MLA from Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, Kuldeep Singh Sengar, has been convicted of rape, murder, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and criminal intimidation. The case dates back to June 4, 2017, when the then 17-year-old woman was allegedly raped by Sengar. He was expelled from the BJP in August 2019. On April 3, 2018, the victim's father was charged in an illegal gun case and subsequently arrested. On April 9, 2018, he died in judicial custody.
Gayatri Prasad Prajapati – 2017
Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, who served as mines minister during the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh, was accused in 2017 of gang-raping a woman over a period of three years. In 2021, Prajapati was sentenced to five years in prison by the Allahabad High Court. Currently, Prajapati is still in jail.
MJ Akbar: October 2018
Former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs MJ Akbar resigned on October 17, 2018 amid a growing number of sexual allegations against him during the #MeToo movement. Akbar, a former journalist, had joined the BJP in March 2014. Previously, he was Congress MP from Kishanganj in Bihar between 1989 and 1991.
Also read: Prajwal Revanna case: 'Videos changed', claims Deve Gowda's grandson
Akbar was first accused by journalist Priya Ramani, who had written about him in October 2018 in an article she wrote for Vogue a year earlier, without mentioning his name.
Purushottam Naresh Dwivedi – November 2010
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Purushottam Naresh Dwivedi was accused of raping a girl at his house in Banda district in December 2010. Dwivedi served as BSP MLA from Naraini in Banda, UP from 2007 to 2012.
The Uttar Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister Mayawati, ordered the registration of an FIR against Dwivedi, who was subsequently sentenced to jail in 2011. Dwivedi was imprisoned in Banda District Jail but was later granted bail in 2015.
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Published: Apr 29, 2024 12:44 PM IST