Under pressure from all sides, the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S) suspended its Hassan Lok Sabha member, Prajwal Revanna, from the party on April 30 over an alleged sex scandal. This decision was welcomed by its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The political storm surrounding Prajwal Revanna, who is also the grandson of former Indian Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, was unsurprising given the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Voting for 14 of Karnataka's 28 seats, including Hassan, where Prajwal has again contested, took place on April 26. However, with the remaining 14 seats scheduled for polling in the third phase on May 7, there was mounting pressure from the BJP to take action against Prajwal.
The case is yet another example of the moral bankruptcy of politicians and the abuse of their positions. The disgrace and horror are heightened when it involves democratically elected representatives like MPs and MLAs, whom people approach with their grievances expecting resolution. The selective outrage of political parties and their leadership against crimes against women is equally abhorrent.
Criminal Lawmakers
According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report released in August 2023, 134 sitting members of parliament (MPs) and members of legislative assemblies (MLAs) have cases related to crimes against women, including 21 MPs and 113 MLAs. This data is based on ADR's analysis of 762 sitting MPs and 4,001 sitting MLAs.
Among political parties, the BJP had 44 MPs and MLAs against whom cases of crimes against women have been registered, including seven MPs. The Congress had 25, followed by AAP with 13 sitting MPs or MLAs who have declared such cases.
The case involving Prajwal's sexual crimes surpasses all previous instances of perversion. Thousands of girls and women from various backgrounds (government officials, TV anchors, models, minors, maids) have allegedly been sexually exploited, with graphic details of the acts recorded on video. The perpetrator has reportedly recorded the faces of the victims while himself remaining hidden in most cases. An FIR has been lodged by one of the victims.
Politicisation of Victims' Plight
The circumstances under which these women were forced into such situations remain unknown. However, the trauma and agony experienced by these female victims are unimaginable. Reports from the ground suggest that women caught in the act are facing abandonment by their families, with husbands, children, and acquaintances shaming and disowning them.
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The Congress government has established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the crime, but questions remain about its adequacy. There are allegations that the Siddaramaiah government not only knew about the videos but also possessed copies of them and was waiting for an opportune moment - the Lok Sabha elections - to release and capitalise on them. Sources claim that Karthik, a driver for the Revanna family who had personal issues with them, provided a pen drive containing the alleged acts to Karnataka's Deputy Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar. Subsequently, it is alleged that multiple copies were made and distributed by ordinary Congress workers in many households in Hassan just days before the polling on April 26. Of course, Shivakumar has refuted these claims, as has the driver.
The story becomes murkier. In June 2023, Prajwal managed to secure a gag order against media outlets from a Bengaluru civil court regarding the same sexual assault videos, dismissing them as 'fake' and 'morphed'.
"It's an extremely influential family and it will be a herculean task for the SIT to investigate. The political parties have no interest in investigating the case. They have already started their mudslinging. The victims' lives are under threat. Stories are already floating around about sexual acts being consensual," says Vimala K.S., Vice-President of the Karnataka unit of the All India Democratic Women's Association.
Maximum Mileage for Electoral Gains
So, were the Prajwal Revanna videos a ploy by the Congress party to gain maximum electoral advantage from the scandal in the remaining phases of general elections, both within the state and nationwide?
Moreover, if the Congress government in Karnataka was aware of the case for months, why did it fail to file an FIR and launch investigations against him? The motives of the Congress government are suspect because of its failure to act promptly. There was such a rush to gain political advantage that nobody bothered to blur the faces of the victims, some of whom were minors.
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"The SIT should investigate as to who leaked the video, because that, too, is a crime. People are cynical about justice being done because there is already a lot of pressure on women from the Deve Gowda family. For instance, the FIR hasn't been registered under relevant sections of the IPC, which may weaken the case," says Vinay Sreenivasa, an advocate based in Bengaluru.
He emphasises the need for the Karnataka government to create a safe space for the survivors, suggesting that the SIT should include a retired judge, women activists, and officials from the home ministry.
The Congress party and its national leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi, should be directing pertinent questions to the Congress state government in Karnataka instead of attempting to gain electoral mileage through public rallies nationwide.
Similarly, the BJP, the JD(S)'s ally in Karnataka, must come clean on whether the leadership was aware of the perverted videos while allowing Revanna to seek re-election from the Hassan seat.
It's well-known that when it comes to incidents of crimes against women involving high-profile politicians across party lines, political parties often refuse to acknowledge, let alone address, the issue.
If it's the same this time too, it would be tragic, to say the least.
(Bharti Mishra Nath is a senior journalist)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author