Sexual assault case: ‘Big whale’ behind leaking explicit videos, says HD Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru, May 14: JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday alleged that there was a "big whale" behind the leaking of explicit videos of women being sexually abused allegedly by his nephew and party MP from Hassan Prajwal Revanna.
Kumaraswamy’s swipe was apparently against Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who refused to comment on it.
Talking to reporters about the Prajwal Revanna case, the JD(S) second-in-command said an MLA from Mandya said ‘large whales’ were behind releasing the video.
When asked to explain who the ‘big whale’ is, Kumaraswamy said, “Who else it is? Today an MLA from Mandya spoke about ‘big whale’. Whatever the ‘big whale’ is saying, the same is followed by the ‘small whales’.”
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He said that listening to the arguments of the lawyers it appears prima facie that the arrest of MLA H D Revanna, Kumaraswamy's brother, was "politics of hate".
The government initiated action against Revanna to spoil the reputation of former prime minister Deve Gowda, the former chief minister alleged.
He asked how anyone would catch the ‘big whale’ when he is in government.
Reacting to Kumaraswamy's remarks, Shivakumar said, “Let him (Kumaraswamy) arrest and swallow the ‘big whale’. I am neither director nor producer. I am only an exhibitor, theatre exhibitor.”
On Kumaraswamy’s charges that Revanna was arrested to defame Deve Gowda, the deputy chief minister said, “Not at all. See, I too feel sorry for him (Revanna). I too feel that such things should not happen. It’s such a big family. Let them think whatever they want but I don’t wish anything bad for anyone and I don’t need it.”
Shivakumar, who is also Congress Karnataka unit president, said he believed in the law of nature and he too had suffered a lot.
“I too faced political conspiracy. I know how strong and full of self-confidence I am. That’s the reason that god protected me,” he said.
Revanna, who is the elder son of JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, was arrested along with his confidant Sathish Babanna for allegedly abducting a woman on April 29.
The case was registered on a complaint filed by the woman's son, who alleged that his mother was sexually abused by Revanna's son and JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna.
The woman was allegedly abducted to prevent her from testifying against Prajwal, police sources said.
The explicit videos of alleged sexual abuse by Prajwal had been making the rounds on social media, and the Government formed the SIT on April 28 to probe the case after the Karnataka State Commission for Women wrote a letter to the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seeking an investigation into it.
The 33-year-old Prajwal, who was the NDA candidate in the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, reportedly left the country on April 27, a day after the elections, and has skipped the SIT summons to appear before it.
Interpol has issued a Blue Corner Notice against the "absconding" MP, who is facing sexual abuse charges.
A Blue Corner Notice is issued to collect information from member countries about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a crime.
H D Revanna was released on bail on Tuesday.
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UAE denies Netanyahu secretly visited the country during Iran war
Jerusalem (AP): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates during the Israeli-US war with Iran, further strengthening ties with a Gulf nation that normalised relations with Israel in 2020, his office said Wednesday. The UAE denied any secret visit had occurred.
Netanyahu met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a gathering that “resulted in a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates", according to the Israeli statement.
THE UAE's official WAM news agency posted an article denying the report about a Netanyahu visit.
According to WAM, the country's relations with Israel “are public and conducted within the framework of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords, and are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements”.
The report also denied any Israeli military delegation was received in the UAE.
Israel's announcement came a day after US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee revealed that Israel had sent Iron Dome air-defence weapons and personnel to operate them to the UAE.
The UAE has faced Iranian missile and drone fire even after the ceasefire was reached last month. It has been trying to signal to nervous investors that it remains open for business and safe.
Last week, WAM reported that Netanyahu was among the leaders who called the Emirati president to condemn Iranian attacks and express their solidarity with the Gulf federation.
It was rare public acknowledgment of direct talks between the countries that normalized relations in the 2020 Abraham Accords and have strengthened their ties during the Iran war.
Iran has criticised that agreement and has repeatedly suggested over the years that Israel maintained a military and intelligence presence in the Emirates.
Israeli leaders have made occasional visits to the UAE in recent years after normalising relations.
Iran demands Kuwait release detainees
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Iran's foreign minister accused Kuwait of attempting to “sow discord” by detaining four Iranians that the Gulf Arab country accuses of being Revolutionary Guard operatives.
In a post Wednesday on X, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi demanded the Iranians' immediate release and said Iran reserved the right to respond.
“This illegal act took place near an island used by the US to attack Iran,” Araghchi wrote.
A day earlier, Kuwait said four men were detained and two escaped while trying to infiltrate Bubiyan Island in the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf on May 1.
Bubiyan Island is home to Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, which is under construction as part of a Chinese plan to build infrastructure across the world. It also came under Iranian attack during the war.
Iranian human rights lawyer released
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Prominent Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been released from prison more than a month after being detained, a rights group and her daughter said Wednesday.
Sotoudeh, who is known for defending activists, opposition politicians and women prosecuted for removing their headscarves, was detained by Iranian intelligence agents at her house in Tehran in April.
Her release comes as US President Donald Trump arrived in China for a long-anticipated visit that is expected to touch on the war in Iran.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which closely tracks developments in Iran, said that Sotoudeh was released on bail from Tehran's Evin Prison.
Her daughter, Mehraveh Khandan, posted on social media that Sotoudeh was released on temporary custody. Iran's semiofficial ISNA news agency also reported Sotoudeh release.
Sotoudeh has been imprisoned multiple times. Her activist husband, Reza Khandan, has been imprisoned in the same prison as his wife.
Nobel Peace laureate needs long-term care
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Doctors who examined Nobel Peace laureate and activist Narges Mohammadi more than a week after she collapsed at a prison in Iran said she needs months of treatment, according to her foundation.
Mohammadi, 53, was urgently transferred from prison to a hospital in northwestern Iran on May 1 after she fell unconscious. She was released on bail nearly 10 days later and transferred to a hospital in Tehran where her specialists examined her.
The doctors said her vascular disease has worsened since she was last checked in 2024 and recommended eight months of treatment.
She was awarded the Nobel in 2023 while in prison and has been jailed repeatedly throughout her career. Her latest imprisonment began in December when she was arrested in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad.
