‘Consider themselves to be above law:’ Congress demands strict action after Prajwal Revanna found with mobile phone in jail

New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) Congress leaders on Wednesday slammed former JD-S MP Prajwal Revanna after he was allegedly found using a mobile phone inside Bengaluru Central Prison and demanded strict action against him for violating jail rules.

Speaking to IANS, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said that no one should be considered above the law and that stringent action must be taken against Revanna.

“His father is a minister, and his grandfather was the Prime Minister of the country. They consider themselves to be above the law. The way he treated women… the more it is condemned, the less it is. Now that he is in jail, he is violating the law there as well. Strict action must certainly be taken against him,” he said.

Congress MP Jebi Mather also questioned how the former MP managed to access a mobile phone inside prison and called for a thorough investigation into the matter.

“What Prajwal Revanna has done, how he abused women and used them as instruments, everything is on record. What has now happened inside the jail is not acceptable. This needs to be seriously looked into. We need to find out how it happened. There may have been political connections involved. Therefore, a detailed investigation is necessary,” she said.

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge asserted that the law should apply equally to all prisoners, irrespective of their status.

“It does not matter who the prisoner is — X, Y or Z. He has committed a crime and is in prison. That is all that matters. Whether he is high-profile or low-profile does not matter to us,” Kharge said.

Providing details of the operation, IPS officer Alok Kumar said that the Crime Branch carried out a surprise raid at Bengaluru Central Prison on the instructions of the Karnataka Home Minister.

“Yesterday, on the Home Minister’s instructions, the CCB conducted a raid. Around 2 p.m., officials reached Bengaluru Central Prison. Searches were conducted in VIP and high-security prison areas, including barracks housing accused in NDPS, terror and Naxal-related cases. During the search, a mobile phone was seized from the barrack of former MP Prajwal Revanna. An investigation is underway to determine how the phone got there, who it belonged to and how it was being used. Another inmate was also present in the barrack. Searches were also conducted in the barracks of actor Darshan and Pavithra Gowda,” Kumar said.

Revanna was allegedly found using the phone during the surprise raid conducted by Crime Branch officials. Following the recovery, a case has been registered, and an investigation is underway to determine how the device entered the prison.

Authorities have already initiated action against prison officials over the security lapse. Jail Assistant Superintendent Eeranna Rangapur has been suspended for alleged negligence, while Jail Superintendent Ansuch Kumar has been served a show-cause notice seeking an explanation.

Revanna, the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and nephew of Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, is serving a life sentence after being convicted of rape, intimidation, and circulating videos of the sexual assault of a 48-year-old woman.

The survivor, who worked as a domestic help at the Revanna family’s farmhouse in Hassan district’s Holenarasipura, alleged that she was repeatedly raped by Revanna from 2021 onwards. She also accused him of recording the assaults and threatening to release the videos if she disclosed the abuse.

Revanna fled to Germany after the videos surfaced but was later suspended by the JD-S. He subsequently lost the 2024 Lok Sabha election and was arrested upon his return to India.

–IANS

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