Congress govt in Karnataka to give financial assistance to Prajwal rape victims
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Congress government in Karnataka will provide financial assistance to those allegedly sexually assaulted by JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, the national party said on Sunday.
Congress general secretary and the party's Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala made this announcement at a press conference here in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
He said former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had demanded that appropriate action be taken against the accused.
"Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced financial assistance to the rape victims who are in hundreds, since it is a unique case which has never happened in the last 75 years," Surjewala said.
Prajwal, the JD(S)-BJP alliance candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, is the grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and nephew of former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy.
He is wanted in a case pertaining to rape and molestation after hundreds of explicit videos allegedly came out in open.
Flanked by Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Surjewala charged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah with protecting their alliance partner JD(S) candidate, who is a 'mass rapist'.
"Why did BJP form an alliance with the JD(S) despite having information about Prajwal?" he asked.
He also sought to know why the External Affairs Ministry did not stop Prajwal from fleeing abroad.
"Why did the PM not cancel Prajwal's diplomatic passport and why no blue corner notice through Interpol was issued to bring him back?" Surjewala questioned.
Speaking on the occasion, the CM said a blue corner notice will be issued to bring Prajwal back.
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Police arrested Kejriwal's aide at same time his anticipatory bail plea was being heard: Atishi
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Minister Atishi alleged on Saturday that the city police arrested Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar at the same time his anticipatory bail plea was being heard in court.
Kumar was arrested on Saturday in connection with the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal, officials said.
He was picked up from the chief minister's residence by a Delhi Police team around noon, a senior officer said.
Addressing a press conference, Atishi said Kumar had filed a plea for anticipatory bail before the Tis Hazari court.
Kumar was picked up for questioning by the Delhi Police around 11 am. As soon as he was taken for questioning, news channels started saying he had been arrested, she claimed.
"This shows the BJP's conspiracy. Their intention is to disturb our election campaign and Arvind Kejriwal," she said.
Atishi said the Tis Hazari court considered Kumar's matter urgent and agreed to hear his plea on Saturday itself.
"The court commenced hearing on his plea at 3:55 pm and within 20 minutes, the Delhi Police arrested him at the Civil Lines police station. As soon as his lawyers began arguments, the police learnt that their case is weak and Kumar would get relief. So they arrested Kumar," she claimed.
Atishi alleged that when the court was dictating its order on the matter at 4:55 pm, the Delhi Police lawyer appeared through videoconferencing and said Kumar had already been arrested.
Kumar's anticipatory bail plea has become "infructuous" as he has been arrested, the court observed.
The chief minister's aide, accused of assaulting Maliwal on May 13 at Kejriwal's residence, was arrested two days after an FIR was registered against him at the Civil Lines police station.
Additional Sessions Judge Sushil Anuj Tyagi, while dictating the order to the court staff on the anticipatory bail plea, noted that Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Kumar Srivastava appeared through videoconferencing around 4:45 pm and informed the court that Kumar had already been arrested.
Atishi said, "Even they knew that their case was weak and if the case was heard, Bibhav Kumar would get bail. That is why tomorrow (Sunday) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will lead all AAP leaders and to the BJP headquarters and court arrest."
Kejriwal said he and other AAP leaders would go to the BJP headquarters on Sunday "so that the prime minister can send anyone he wants to jail".
The BJP is saying they would send AAP MP Raghav Chadha and Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj to jail, he claimed at a press briefing, hours after Kumar was arrested.
