Indian Lawmaker Prajwal Revanna to Return to India to Face Rape Allegations

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Prajwal Revanna, an Indian lawmaker allied with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, has announced his return to India by Friday to confront allegations of rape and sexual harassment made against him.

Revanna, 33, the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, represents the Hassan constituency in the southern state of Karnataka. Despite seeking a second term from his Janata Dal (Secular) party in the ongoing national elections, he has been suspended since the allegations surfaced last month.

The accusations of sexual harassment emerged following the circulation of obscene video clips just days before the state voted in national elections on April 26. Revanna, who has been out of the country since then, broke his silence on Monday after his grandfather urged him to return and face the law.

In a video clip aired by ANI, Revanna apologized to his parents, grandfather, family, people of the state, and all party workers. He expressed confidence in his innocence and stated that he believes he will emerge victorious in court against the “false cases.”

Revanna is set to meet with the Karnataka police special investigation team probing the accusations on Friday. Local media reports have indicated that he faces three separate cases filed by several women.

This marks the first public response by Revanna regarding the allegations. Earlier, on May 1, he had mentioned on social media that he was out of the country and needed time to return for the investigation, asserting that “truth will prevail soon.”

In a related development, Revanna’s father and former Karnataka minister H.D. Revanna was reportedly arrested after a local court denied him relief in a kidnapping case filed against him by the son of one of the women involved in the harassment case.

The unfolding drama has captivated the attention of the nation as the seven-phase national elections draw to a close on Saturday. Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.

(Reporting by Tanvi Mehta; Editing by YP Rajesh and Sharon Singleton)