Bengaluru: Prajwal Revanna, the suspended JD(S) MP facing sexual abuse allegations, was arrested on Friday upon his return from Germany, a month after he left the country in the wake of explicit videos of his alleged actions doing the rounds in Karnataka’s Hassan.
A special court in the city remanded him to police custody till June 6.
In a clear messaging early in the day, a team of women police personnel ‘welcomed’ Prajwal Revanna upon his arrival here, as they were deputed to execute a warrant and take him to the CID office for interrogation.
After evading summons and staying out of the country for a little over a month, the 33 year-old grandson of JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda landed here past midnight from Germany’s Munich, only to be arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) minutes later and whisked away for questioning.
He was later produced before the 42nd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate K N Shivakumar, who heard the remand application and objection argument from Prajwal’s advocate. He later remanded Prajwal to police custody.
The NDA Lok Sabha candidate from Hassan, facing allegations of sexually abusing several women, was arrested after completing the due process, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said.
Prajwal’s advocate Arun G said the former was extending full cooperation to the SIT probe and cautioned against any media trial in the case.
“Prajwal Revanna landed around 12.40-12:50 am from Germany’s Munich. As there was an arrest warrant against him, SIT accordingly arrested him and took him into custody,” Parameshwara said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, “…naturally he should have cooperated to the arrest. His immigration papers were cleared and he was brought out (of airport). As he had a diplomatic passport, things happened easily. After completing all the due process, he was arrested,” he added.
Asked if the government will appeal to more victims to come forward following his arrest, Parameshwara said, “We have already said, those who have faced trouble from him to come forward and give complaints to SIT and police, and we will provide them all kind of protection. We will have to wait and see further developments.”
The SIT, sending out a message, deputed an all-woman police team to execute the warrant against Prajwal.
Soon after he alighted from the plane from Munich, he was received by women in Khaki, sources in the SIT said.
During the procedure of executing the arrest warrant, he was flanked by the women police personnel who were led by two IPS officers, Suman D Pennekar and Seema Latkar. He was then taken in a jeep in which only women police were present. They took him to the CID office.
“It was a conscious call to send women officers to arrest Prajwal, sending home a message that the JD(S) leader exploited his seat and power as an MP with women. The same women have authority to arrest him through all legal proceedings,” a source in the SIT said.
There was also a symbolic message to the alleged victims that women officers were not afraid of anyone, the source added.
The MP was later taken for medical examination under tight security. Escorted by female police officials, he was taken to Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital here.
The SIT is also contemplating a potency test on Prajwal. A potency test is done to ascertain if a rape accused is capable of committing sexual assault on victims.
