Finding fault with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the allegations of sexual harassment against Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna for overlooking the culpability of the persons behind the release of the explicit videos, the JD(S) core committee chief G.T. Deve Gowda has demanded a judicial probe into the entire scandal by a sitting High Court judge.
Addressing a press conference along with former Minister S.R. Mahesh and former MLAs Ashwin Kumar and K. Mahadev in Mysuru on Tuesday, Mr. Gowda sought to know the reasons behind the failure of the SIT to interrogate Prajwal Revanna’s former driver Karthik, who had publicly claimed to have released the explicit videos allegedly involving the Hassan MP.
He regretted that the SIT was not even acknowledging that the person, who made the videos public, was also guilty of the crime of tarnishing the reputation of the women.
However, the SIT has issued a statement warning people against keeping the sexually explicit videos relating to the scandal in their mobiles and people doing so could face legal action under law.
Claiming that BJP leader Devaraje Gowda had demanded a CBI probe into the matter after releasing audio recordings to support his accusation that Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had played a role in making the scandal public, Mr. Gowda said the State government order a judicial probe if it thinks CBI investigation will bring the matter under the control of the Centre.
Mr. Gowda also demanded the resignation of Mr. Shivakumar from the Cabinet. “If he does not resign, he should be sacked from the Cabinet,” he said.
Protest
The JD(S) will hold a state-wide protest against the handling of the case by the Congress government in the State on Wednesday.
A protest was already held in Mandya on Tuesday. A protest will also be held by JD(S) works in Mysuru in front of Kote Anjaneya Swamy Temple near Mysuru Palace on Wednesday.
‘Abducted’ women
Meanwhile, former Minister S.R. Mahesh, who was also present at the press conference, claimed that the SIT had taken the alleged rape survivor from the house of a relative in Hunsur and not from the farmhouse of former Minister H.D. Revanna’s aide Rajashekar as claimed by the investigating team.
He claimed that the woman was staying in the house of a relative in Hunsur, who called the police station after hearing that a case had been booked in K.R. Nagar police station about her alleged abduction. The SIT had taken her from the house of a relative in Hunsur.
He challenged the authorities to prove him wrong by producing a video recording of the reported rescue from the farmhouse of Mr. Revanna’s aide. “If I am proved wrong, I will announce retirement from political life and even resign from the JD(S),” he said.
Mr. Mahesh claimed that a few officials of the SIT were functioning as “puppets” of the State government.
The Congress leaders were using the case to finish JD(S) leaders in the old Mysore region and were using the SIT to achieve its goals, he alleged.
