Who Is Prajwal Revanna & What Is The Massive Sex Scandal Centring JDS Hassan MP In Karnataka?

Karnataka's Hassan Prajwal Revanna, who is a grandson of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, has come under scanner following a massive sex scandal that has rocked the state. The alleged explicit videos, reportedly featuring the sitting MP from Hassan, have been widely circulated in the region, prompting an investigation by the state government.

On Sunday, the Congress alleged that "a pen drive full of pornographic videos" showed "MP and NDA candidate Prajwal Revanna sexually assaulted thousands of women and recorded objectionable videos of them". One of the victims reportedly included a woman in her 60s.

Who is Prajwal Revanna?

Prajwal Revanna is the 33-year-old son of HD Revanna and the nephew of HD Kumaraswamy. The Janata Dal (Secular) that is in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka nominated him as its candidate once again from Hassan for the Lok Sabha elections. He was to be contesting elections opposite Congress candidate 31-year-old Shreyas M Patel, the grandson of Puttaswamy Gowda.

Hassan was one of the constituencies that went to the polls in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 26.

Revanna graduated as a mechanical engineer from Bangalore Institute of Technology in 2014 and has been active in politics since. At the age of 29 he became the state general secretary of JDS in November 2019.

Karnataka government forms SIT

The Siddaramaiah government announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the allegations after receiving a petition from Nagalakshmi Chaudhary, chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Women. Chaudhary's letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and state police chief Alok Mohan prompted the probe, which will examine the authenticity of the explicit videos and allegations of sexual assault.

Revanna, who denies the allegations and claims the videos were doctored, had lodged a complaint with authorities prior to the elections, suggesting that the scandal was an attempt to tarnish his image. Meanwhile, it has been reported that Revanna has left the country, raising questions about his return and co-operation with the SIT investigation.