Sex scandal probe: No question of protecting anyone, says Home Minister G Parameshwara
Bengaluru(PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday said there is no question of protecting anyone including Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna over an alleged sex scandal involving him and that action has been initiated in accordance with law by forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
He was reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement on Tuesday wanting to know why the Congress government in Karnataka did not take any action against Prajwal Revanna.
The 33-year-old Prajwal Revanna is the son of H D Deve Gowda's elder son H D Revanna, who is an MLA and a former Minister. Prajwal is the BJP-JD(S) alliance's candidate from Hassan, which went to the polls on Friday.
Explicit video clips allegedly involving Prajwal Revanna had started making the rounds in Hassan recently, following which the state government constituted an SIT to probe the alleged sex scandal involving the MP.
SIT on Tuesday issued notice to Prajwal Revanna and his father H D Revanna, who have been booked for alleged sexual harassment, at the Holenarsipura police station in Hassan district on April 28 based on a complaint by a woman who worked in their house, directing them to appear for investigation.
"No one is arrested all of a sudden. Factors such as complaints, evidence, sections that have been invoked, whether it is bailable or non bailable will be considered. So they (SIT) have issued notice under Section 41A of CrPC. Within 24 hours they (Revanna and Prajwal) will have to appear, if not further procedures will follow," Parameshwara said, in response to a question.
While speaking to reporters here, he said, the SIT was formed immediately by the state government and investigation has started.
"Saying that we (govt) did not do anything (is not right). The Union Home Minister has said it, it has come to my notice. There is no question of protecting anyone in this case. Action has been initiated in accordance with law. It (case) is linked to a lot of lives, so things cannot be done as per one's wishes. That's the reason SIT was formed," he added.
The SIT led by B K Singh, Additional Director-General of Police, Criminal Investigation Department, was formed on April 28 to probe the alleged sex scandal involving the MP.
Noting that SIT has recorded the statement of the complainant, the Home Minister said that it is functioning procedurally within the framework of law.
To a question as to who leaked the videos, he said, "SIT will look into it, I cannot say much about it."
SIT has issued the notice and there is evidence to prove that Prajwal Revanna has gone abroad and his air ticket and other details have been found, Parameshwara said. "The procedures required to get him back, SIT will do it," he added.
"Whether there is a requirement of the central government's support or SIT will find and get him back themselves, what procedures they (SIT) may adopt, it is left to them," he said.
Prajwal Revanna is said to have flown abroad after the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka held on April 26.
Asked about JD(S) leader and Prajwal's uncle H D Kumaraswamy's allegation that Deputy CM D K Shivakumar is behind the video leak, Parameshwara said, "I have noticed it. Many people have made statements in this regard. I cannot answer it. After the SIT report comes, based on facts, action will be taken. So we cannot make any statements now."
The JD(S) led by Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy has welcomed the SIT probe and has stated that action should be taken against Prajwal in accordance with law if he is proved guilty following the probe. Prajwal was on Tuesday suspended from the party.
To a question regarding the probe on who leaked the videos, Parameshwara said, "Through SIT probe it may come out as to who released it and where did it originate. Based on that, they may take action. Once this (probe on sex scandal) is done, further action too will follow."
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Several Indians inducted into Russian Army remain missing: Report
New Delhi: In a concerning development, several Indians who were illegally enlisted in the Russian Army and forcibly sent to the war zone on the Russia-Ukraine border are reportedly still missing.
According to a report published by The Hindu on Sunday, citing communication from the Ministry of External Affairs and statements from the families of two missing men, Mohammad Amin Sheikh, a 65-year-old resident of Kupwara in Tangdhar, Jammu and Kashmir, said that his 27-year-old son, Zahoor Sheikh, last contacted the family on December 31, 2023.
Amin Sheikh mentioned that his son said that he was going for training and would not be available for the next three months on phone. “But when we started getting news about the deaths of Indians in Russia in January, we got worried and called on his number. We could not reach him. We are yet to hear from him,” Sheikh, a retired Inspector from the Public Health Department in Jammu and Kashmir, was quoted as saying by the publication.
Last week, Mohammad Amin Sheikh and his two other sons travelled to New Delhi to seek answers from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Russian Embassy after the Indian Embassy in Moscow failed to give them information about Zahoor Sheikh.
“We submitted a petition at the Russian Embassy,” 31-year-old Aijaz Amin, Zahoor Sheikh’s elder brother, told The Hindu. “They said they are looking into the matter. The MEA officials said that at least 15 Indians are still missing and though the Russian government is cooperative, their commanders on the ground are not responsive,” he added.
Zahoor had travelled to Russia after he came across a YouTube video promising the job of a security helper in Russia. Instead, he was reportedly deceived into joining the Russian Army.
Similarly, 30-year-old Mandeep, from Jalandhar in Punjab, has been missing since March. His brother, Jagdeep Kumar, also arrived in Delhi, looking for answers from the government about his sibling's whereabouts.
“We last spoke on March 3. He initially went to Armenia and was supposed to go to Italy from there in search of work. Instead, he was tricked by an agent to go to Russia and was forced to join the Russian Army. He was sent to the war zone after a few days of training,” Kumar told The Hindu.
Kumar said he met officials from the External Affairs Ministry in the capital city, who told him that at least 25 Indians were reported missing in Russia.
