Blue Corner notice issued against Prajwal Revanna; Congress questions PM's silence

NSUI members burn a poster of JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna during a protest. Pic/PTI

The Karnataka government on Sunday said a Blue Corner Notice has been issued against JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, facing sexual abuse allegations, while his MLA father was remanded to custody in a related case, reported news agency PTI.

The Congress party kept up the attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the matter, asking him to break his 'silence' on the issue in which the BJP's alliance party leader is accused. The Congress-led Karnataka government announced financial assistance to those were allegedly sexually assaulted by Prajwal.

"Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced financial assistance to the rape victims who are in hundreds, since it is a unique case which has never happened in the last 75 years," Congress general secretary and the party's Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said at a press conference in the presence of the state CM, in Bengaluru, reported PTI.

With Prajwal stated to have left the country, a Blue Corner notice has been issued against him and the Interpol's help is being taken to bring the NDA's Hassan Lok Sabha candidate back to India, Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara said, reported PTI.

A Blue Corner Notice is issued by the international police cooperation body to collect additional information from its member countries about a person's identity, location or activities in relation to a crime. "Already Blue Corner notice has been issued. The Interpol will inform all the countries and locate him," Parameshwara told reporters, reported PTI.

Explicit video clips allegedly involving the 33-year-old Prajwal, grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, had started making the rounds in Hassan in recent days, following which the state government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the sexual abuse allegations against the MP, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Prajwal's father and JD(S) MLA, HD Revanna was remanded to police custody till May 8 by a Bengaluru court in connection with a case of alleged kidnapping and illegal confining of a woman. Revanna was arrested on Saturday by the SIT after his bail plea was rejected in the case related to kidnapping and illegally confining a woman who is the mother of three children. Police had also arrested one Sathish Babanna in connection with the abduction and secured the victim from a farmhouse.

The FIR was registered against the 66-year-old Revanna based on a complaint by the woman's son on Thursday. After his medical examination at the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital here, the former minister was produced before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, who remanded him to the custody of the SIT, reported PTI.

The SIT was formed by the Karnataka government on the recommendation of the Karnataka State Commission for Women chief Nagalakshmi Chowdhary after a huge cache of explicit videos of Prajwal, allegedly sexually abusing women, became public.

There are three FIRs registered in connection with the sexual abuse allegations, involving the father and son, in total. In the first case in Holenarasipura, the cook and relative of the Revannas complained that the two had molested her. In the second complaint at CID Bengaluru, a JD(S) leader accused Prajwal of raping her at gunpoint, videographing the incident and then blackmailing her.

The third complaint is against H D Revanna pertaining to the abduction and illegal detention of a woman. Before being produced before the magistrate, Revanna claimed there is no evidence of his involvement. "There are no evidences pertaining to the May 2 complaint. It's a big political conspiracy... A conspiracy was hatched against me," Revanna told reporters at the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, where he was taken for a medical checkup, reported PTI.

The Congress on Sunday once again targeted PM over the issue and asserted that its women's wing will keep raising its voice until Prajwal is brought back to India to face the law. All India Mahila Congress chief Alka Lamba slammed Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani and National Women Commission Chairperson Rekha Sharma for being silent on the case.

"Today half the population of the country is demanding that Smriti Irani and Rekha Sharma break their silence," she said at a press conference at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has also expressed concern over the matter and former party chief Rahul Gandhi has written a letter to the Karnataka chief minister, asking for strict action, Lamba said, reported PTI.

"Prime Minister, break your silence. Until PM Modi brings Prajwal Revanna from Germany and hands him over to the Karnataka government, Mahila Congress will raise its voice from every corner of the country. Not only us, half the population of the country (women) will ask you questions," she said. "Mahila Congress will 'gherao' PM Modi everywhere, because we are not afraid of your power and police machinery," she said.

(With inputs from PTI)