Deve Gowda's son Revanna arrested in abduction case

Bengaluru: Karnataka JD(S) MLA H D Revanna was arrested by sleuths of a Special Investigation Team on Saturday in a kidnapping case linked to sexual abuse allegations against his son Prajwal, officials said. He was arrested soon after a court here rejected his anticipatory bail plea.

The former minister was picked up from the Padmanabhanagar residence of his father, JD(S) supremo and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda here, and brought to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) office.

The case was registered against H D Revanna, a former minister and his confidant Sathish Babanna in Mysuru on Thursday night for allegedly abducting a woman.

The case was registered on a complaint filed by the woman's son, who also alleged that his mother was sexually abused by H D Revanna's son and the BJP-JD(S) Hassan Lok Sabha seat candidate Prajwal Revanna. Babanna has already been arrested in connection with the case.

The woman was allegedly abducted to prevent her from testifying against Prajwal Revanna, police sources said.

H D Revanna was charged under Section 364(a) (kidnapping for ransom, etc), 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine a person) and 34 (the acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

After a medical examination at Bowring Hospital, H D Revanna was taken back to the SIT office. He is likely to be produced before the magistrate on Sunday morning, police sources said.

Seeking anticipatory bail in the case, H D Revanna had approached the Special Court for Elected Representatives, which dismissed his plea on Saturday.

H D Revanna's advocates promised the court that he would attend interrogation by the SIT if the bail plea was granted. However, the SIT public prosecutor objected to his bail application.

On Saturday, police officials rescued the abducted woman from a farmhouse, allegedly belonging to an aide of H D Revanna at Kalenahalli village in Hunsur taluk of Mysuru district.So far, two FIRs have been registered against H D Revanna.

The first case was registered against H D Revanna and son Prajwal Revanna for alleged sexual harassment at the Holenarsipura police station in Hassan district last Sunday, based on a complaint by a woman who worked in the Revannas' house.

The second FIR was registered against H D Revanna and his confidant Babanna in Mysuru for allegedly abducting the woman who is also reportedly a victim of sexual abuse.

Explicit video clips allegedly involving the 33-year-old Prajwal Revanna had started doing the rounds in Hassan in recent days, following which the state government constituted an SIT to probe the alleged sexual abuse allegations against the MP.

The sexual abuse allegations have become a major campaign narrative in the Lok Sabha elections with the Congress and BJP-JD(S) combine engaged in a political blame game.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led the Congress attack, alleging that Prajwal Revanna fled the country under the "very nose" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

He also sought an apology from Modi for seeking votes for a "mass rapist", claiming that Prajwal Revanna sexually abused nearly 400 women.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has urged Prime Minister Modi to cancel Prajwal Revanna's diplomatic passport.

The BJP has rejected the Congress' charge and distanced itself from the episode, stating that it concerns only the MP and law will take its course. In a counter-attack, Shah accused the Siddaramaiah government of allowing Prajwal Revanna to leave the country by not taking timely action.

Fourteen Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka will go to polls on May 7.