A politician with close ties to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been accused of numerous sexual abuses allegedly captured on camera.
Prajwal Revanna, 33, is an MP belonging to the Janata Dal Party (Secular)—which is an ally of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Up to three thousand videos of Revanna allegedly filmed himself sexually abusing multiple women have been circulating since last June.
Revanna has consistently denied the allegations, describing them as “morphed” and “doctored” videos and seeking a court order preventing the media from reporting on it.
Revanna’s father has also denied the allegations, telling reporters: “We won’t run away scared. We’re right here. We’ll counter these charges as per the law.” Meanwhile, Revanna has reportedly fled to Germany.
Members of the women’s wing of the Congress have called for his immediate arrest, as protests across the region have erupted. Demonstrators were seen burning his posters and demanding a criminal investigation into the case.
Earlier this week, the Janata Dal announced it was suspending him from the party his own grandfather, HD Deve Gowda, had founded. Gowda was India’s PM for a year between 1996-1997.
The Karnataka government has announced a Special Investigation Team to examine the videos. One Congress leader expressed the view that Revanna “should be given severe punishment and should be hanged for what he has done with these women.”
“It has brought down the honour of the entire state of Karnataka,” he said.
In the southern state of Karnataka, where Revanna is from, the women’s commission chief Nagalakshmi Chaudhary has appealed to the state police chief seeking action against those responsible for the clips.
Chaudhary described feeling “sick” upon watching the videos.
“Your blood boils when you see some of the videos,” she told the BBC. “There is one woman who is begging… ‘please don’t, please don’t’.”
After seeing a leaked clipped on the internet, one woman came forward, accusing both Revanna and his father — also a politician, of sexually abusing her.
“When I joined, six other maids would say they were scared of Prajwal. The male employees, too, would ask us to be wary of [HD] Revanna and his son Prajwal,” she said in her complaint.
“Whenever his wife was away, [HD] Revanna would repeatedly touch me inappropriately, disrobe me and sexually assault me. While I was working in the kitchen, Prajwal would grope me from behind.”
Members of the country’s opposition party — Indian National Congress, have voiced their outrage over the scandal.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on X: “Just hearing about his heinous crimes makes my heart tremble. He has ruined the lives of hundreds of women. Modi, will you remain silent?”
The president of the Congress Party’s women’s wing, Alka Lamba, said the scandal had “shaken the conscience” of the country — home to more than 1.44 billion people.
“In these videos, some recorded against the consent of the victim, women are pleading to be spared but MP Prajwal Revanna continues to brutalise and sexually violate them,” she said.
This latest controversy has sparked panic across Modi’s BJP party amid a forthcoming national election. BJP have tried to distance itself from the case, with one spokesperson telling Al Jazeera it plans to stand by women.
“The case of MP Prajwal Revanna is shocking,” he said. “BJP’s stand on this matter is clear – we stand with the power of Nari Shakti [women’s power]. BJP will never tolerate humiliation of Nari Shakti.”
“Even though the Congress government is in power in Karnataka, it is doing politics instead of taking strict action. Instead of asking us questions, congressmen should question the Congress government in the state.”
The party previously voiced its concerns over Revanna in a widely circulated letter last December. Karnataka’s BJP leader warned his party against nominating Prajwal as a candidate from Hassan, a province in Karnataka.
“There are grave allegations against several leaders of the HD Deve Gowda family (including Prajwal Revanna, the NDA candidate) of the JD(S), the party that we are in alliance with,” the letter read.
If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au for online chat and video call services.
If you are concerned about your behaviour or use of violence, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit http://www.ntv.org.au.