Karnataka’s regional political party Janata Dal (Secular) has suspended incumbent MP Prajwal Revanna, after his entanglement in a sex tape scandal, with multiple women accusing him of molesting them.

In a meeting, attended by HD Kumaraswamy and other leaders of its core committee, the JDS resolved to suspend Prajwal. Committee President GT Devegowda said that the party will keep him under suspension till the SIT probe on him is completed.

Thirty-three-year-old Prajwal is the incumbent MP from JDS’ family borough, Hassan, and has sought re-election. Hassan went to the polls on April 26. Multiple videos, allegedly sex tapes of Prajwal with several women, were being circulated among voters in Hassan, even during the campaign. According to the police department, a pen drive with 2,976 videos was circulating among residents of Hassan.

Multiple plaints

Following this, on Saturday, a woman, who works at Prajwal’s Hassan home submitted a complaint, claiming that he and his father, HD Revanna, the JD (S) MLA from Holenarasipur, had sexually abused her on multiple occasions between 2019 and 2022.

One more case was filed by a woman in the Hassan neighbourhood of Arsikere, accusing Prajwal of sexual assault. Prajwal, after the debacle, has ‘fled’ to Frankfurt, Germany, though party sources indicated that he has gone on a pre-planned visit.

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His alleged escapades had resulted in disruption even inside the party. Some, such as JDS MLA Samruddhi Manjunath, had openly demanded the expulsion of both father and son and have asked Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy to take action. BJP has remained cagey about commenting on the issue, with most leaders saying it is an internal issue of JDS and that the ‘law will take its course.’

CM Siddaramaiah had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT). Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, who is campaigning in Karnataka, hit out at the BJP for remaining silent on the issue. Meanwhile, the State government said that the probe is being done in response to the request of the Women’s Commission.

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