The Karnataka Police has registered a case against Suraj Revanna, the brother of Prajwal Revanna, for allegedly sexually assaulting Janata Dal (Secular) party worker, reported the Hindustan Times on Sunday.
Prajwal Revanna, the former MP from the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, is currently in judicial custody on charges of having raped several women. He was suspended from the Janata Dal (Secular) on April 30.
Suraj Revanna, who is a Member of the Karnataka Legislative Council, has been booked on a complaint of sexual assault by a 27-year-old man who works with the party’s youth wing.
“We filed an FIR under the Indian Penal Code sections 377 (unnatural sex), 506 (criminal intimidation), 342 (wrongful confinement), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention),’’ Hassan Supertintendent of Police Mohammed Sujeetha was quoted by the Hindustan Times as saying.
This came a day after the Karnataka Police registered a first information report against 27-year-old Janata Dal (Secular) worker Chethan KS and one of his family members for allegedly trying to extort money from Suraj Revanna.
The first information report on Friday was filed on a complaint by Suraj Revanna’s close aide, Shivakumar, against Chethan and his brother-in-law. Shivakumar alleged that Chethan was blackmailing Suraj Revanna and threatening to file a false case of sexual assault against him.
In the complaint against Chethan and his brother-in-law, Shivakumar alleged that the two men befriended him and requested his assistance in securing a job, India Today reported. In response, Shivakumar agreed to introduce Chethan to Suraj Revanna.
According to the first information report, Chethan told Shivakumar on June 17 that he had visited Suraj Revanna’s farmhouse a day earlier seeking a job but was turned down, India Today reported.
He then allegedly threatened to defame Suraj Revanna and his family by filing a police complaint alleging sexual assault if he was not given Rs 5 crore. He continued threatening Shivakumar and eventually reduced his demand to Rs 2.5 crore, India Today reported.
Chethan’s brother-in-law also sent messages allegedly threatening Shivakumar, the report said.
Chethan and his brother-in-law were booked under sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to extortion (384), criminal intimidation (506) and the involvement of others in the conspiracy (34) based on Shivakumar’s complaint, PTI reported.
On the other hand, Chethan, in his complaint on Friday, claimed that Suraj Revanna sexually assaulted him on June 16 at his farmhouse in Hassan district’s Gannikada, India Today reported. Subsequently, Suraj Revanna’s associates attempted to offer him money to cover up the incident.
Suraj Revanna has denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated.
According to his complaint, he had initially gone to the Holenarasipura Town police station in connection with the incident. However, the police officers there allegedly refused to file a complaint. Following this, he approached the office of the director general police where a complaint was filed, India Today reported.
This development comes days after a Bengaluru court sent Prajwal Revanna to judicial custody until June 24 on charges of rape. The court issued the order after the Karnataka Police’s special investigation team probing the case did not seek Prajwal Revanna’s further custody.
He was arrested on May 31 after he returned to Bengaluru from Germany, where he had fled on April 26.
Soon after he had left for Germany, Prajwal Revanna and his father, former state minister HD Revanna, were booked by the Karnataka Police for sexual harassment and criminal intimidation. The first information report was based on a complaint by a woman who had worked in the Revanna household for three-and-a-half years.
This came shortly after videos of alleged sexual assault against several women, allegedly recorded by Prajwal Revanna himself, surfaced ahead of the polling. So far, three women have filed complaints of sexual assault against Prajwal Revanna.
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