No lapses on govt's part in handling Prajwal sexual abuse cases: K'taka Home Minister G Parameshwara
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara has asserted there were no lapses on the part of the government in handling cases relating to the alleged sexual abuse of women by Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna and that the Special Investigation Team was probing them from all angles.
He also rubbished the opposition parties' allegations about the collapse of law and order in Karnataka and defended the state police, saying they have "done well."
"The SIT is seriously looking into this case (Prajwal Revanna) from all angles and they are quite competent. As soon as we got to know about this case, we first handed it to the CID and then formed the SIT looking at the gravity of the situation. There were no lapses on the part of the government. If the intelligence has failed here in Karnataka, the Central intelligence has also failed because they let him fly out of the country," Parameshwara said.
Speaking with PTI Videos, he said a court has issued an arrest warrant against Prajwal Revanna following which the state government has written to the Centre urging it to cancel his diplomatic passport.
"It's a very sensitive case, and you cannot force people to come and lodge a complaint against Prajwal. We are getting plenty of reports, people fleeing from their homes in Hassan, a lot of women going through hardships and toil in their homes. Many of these women who have supposedly appeared in these videos, occupy some position in society. They are all under the scanner from their own families. It is a horrible development," he added.
The 33-year-old Prajwal, who is the grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former PM H D Deve Gowda and is the NDA's candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha segment, is facing charges of multiple instances of sexually abusing women. The cases came to light after a number of explicit videos allegedly involving him became public.
Prajwal reportedly left for Germany on April 27, a day after Hassan went to polls, and is still at large. Interpol has also issued a Blue Corner Notice seeking information on his whereabouts.
Stating that some video footage has been sent to the FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) to ascertain the voice and the image, and the police more or less confirmed the identity of the individual who is seen in the videos, Parameshwara said, "The investigations are still on, so it is inappropriate for me to divulge further details as far as this case is concerned."
Responding to a question, he said, it would be wrong to say the Congress party is making the Prajwal Revanna scandal a political issue.
"The fact of the matter is that this has come to the public domain, and you cannot deny the fact that such a scandal has happened. How is the Congress party involved in this...? Different people are using different languages and I hope and request everyone to refrain from making statements on this issue as it is very sensitive," he said.
Regarding the murder of two young women in Hubballi, following which the opposition has been targeting the government for failure in maintaining law and order, the Home Minister said, "I feel sorry for the families and the victims. These kind of murders shouldn't have happened...the matter is handed over to competent authorities. The culprits have been nabbed. Law will take its own course."
Noting that the Lok Sabha elections in the state were peaceful and many festivals too have happened peacefully, he said, the Karnataka police has done well to maintain law and order.
"The opposition is making big allegations, but they lack data and proof to back them. Lot of murders used to happen during BJP's rule, especially hate crimes, and also communal violence. Murders happened in coastal areas, citing religious sentiments, all that has come to a halt now. I have been monitoring the situation across the state sitting in Bengaluru. One thing is for sure we will not allow things to go out of control, the way it has been in certain states in the country," he added.
On the ongoing probe into the Bitcoin scam, Parameshwara said he was told by officers that it is the "biggest financial scam" in recent times.
"Some officers have deposed before the investigators. There are certain people, who are in public life, are also involved. It is too technical and crores and crores of rupees are involved so this is going to take a lot of time before a watertight case is made out of it. One person has been arrested and a lot of details are emerging," he said.
Asserting that there is no truth in BJP's claims about the collapse of the Congress government in the state post the Parliamentary elections, Parameshwara said, "they are just trying to create confusion...we have a very stable government here."
The senior leader, who has also served as the state Congress chief in the past, said his party has done exceedingly well in Karnataka, and should be getting more than 20 out of the 28 Lok Sabha seats.
"We have a good reputation. We have delivered the promises made in the manifesto, as far as guarantee schemes are concerned," he said.
Stating that he doesn't see a Modi wave, Parameshwara further said, "I have not visited north India, but then I do get these reports from my colleagues and media that the BJP is not in the same position as it was last time around, and the chances of the INDIA bloc forming the government are really high."
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
