Agriculture Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy on Saturday said that the SIT probe into alleged multiple sexual abuse cases in Holenarasipur in Hassan district will take a new twist, only after the interrogation of Hassan MP and JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, who was allegedly involved in multiple cases.
However, Mr. Prajwal has been absconding since he cast his vote in the Lok Sabha elections on April 26 in Hassan, the Minister said. Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said that the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy should advise his nephew, Mr. Prajwal, to face the SIT probe.
This comes a day after the BJP leader and advocate Devaraje Gowda, arrested for allegedly having a hand in the circulation of videos, suggested the involvement of Mr. Cheluvarayanswamy in the process, and also alleged that Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had offered ₹100 crore to him to level charges against Mr. Kumaraswamy of being involved in the distribution of pen drives containing explicit videos of sexual abuse.
The Minister said he had no connection with the alleged sexual abuse and claimed that Mr. Devaraje Gowda was in possession of the pen drives for the last one year. Instead of handing them over to the police or the judiciary, the BJP leader had been levelling baseless charges against him and other Vokkaliga community leaders, he said.
‘Mentally unstable’
Meanwhile, asked about Mr. Devaraje Gowda’s allegations, Mr. Shivakumar said: “If Mr. Devaraje Gowda has any proof, he must lodge a complaint with the Lokayukta. He must be mentally unstable and my sympathies are with him. The media is aware and intelligent enough to separate the chaff from the grain. It is not correct to report whatever is said.”
Replying to former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda demanding action against all those who are involved in the pen drive case, he said: “Mr. Deve Gowda has gone to a temple on his birthday. May God give him health and happiness. I pray that his pain goes away. I wish him a happy birthday.”
Published - May 18, 2024 06:39 pm IST
