Lookout Notice Issued for Prajwal; Rahul Gandhi Demands Apology from PM for Supporting Accused Rapist

Lookout notice issued against Prajwal; Rahul Gandhi seeks PM's apology for supporting "mass rapist"

A lookout notice has been issued against JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, facing allegations of sexual abuse while his father moved a local court on Thursday seeking anticipatory bail, even as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for supporting a ''mass rapist'' and sought his apology.

In mounting trouble for Prajwal Revanna, another victim has also approached the police with a plaint against the now suspended JD(S) MP, state Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara said.

Meanwhile, Prajwal's brother claimed a conspiracy to weaken the family politically.

Hundreds of explicit video clips allegedly involving the 33-year-old MP have gone viral in Hassan in recent days. Prajwal, grandson of former prime minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda, is facing allegations of sexually abusing women. The state government has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the charges.

During his election rallies in the district headquarters towns of Shivamogga and Raichur, Gandhi targeted PM Modi over the raging controversy and also demanded that a case should be registered against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, claiming he was aware of the activities of Prajwal and his father and former minister H D Revanna after a local BJP leader had flagged the issue.

Meanwhile, Revanna moved the People's Representative Court seeking anticipatory bail in connection with the sexual harassment case registered against himself.

Parameshwara on Thursday said a lookout circular has been issued to arrest the Hassan JD(S) MP.

''A lookout notice has been issued soon after it was learnt that Prajwal Revanna has gone abroad. We have informed all the ports and airports about the lookout notice,'' the Minister told reporters.

On Prajwal seeking seven more days to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case as he is abroad, he said there is no provision to grant more than 24 hours.

Rahul Gandhi attacked PM and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the issue.

''This is not a sex scandal but mass rape. The Prime Minister should apologise to the mothers and sisters of India. Prajwal Revanna rapes 400 women and makes videos,'' Gandhi alleged.

''The Prime Minister supported the mass rapist on the stage. He told Karnataka that if you voted for this rapist, it will help me,'' Gandhi alleged and added: ''Every woman in Karnataka should know when the Prime Minister was asking for your vote, he was aware of what Prajwal did.'' Gandhi also claimed that the Prime Minister knew about the sex scandal and could have got Prajwal arrested within seconds. But Modi allowed him to flee the country, he claimed.

He said a BJP leader wrote to Shah stating that Prajwal was raping women but no action was taken.

''If Amit Shah knew this, then the Prime Minister also knew it. Why is Modi protecting him (Prajwal), why is he promoting him and why is he seeking votes for him,'' the Congress leader asked.

The Congress leader also said that Shah allowed Prajwal to flee the country despite knowing about him. A case should be filed against Shah because, among the victims, there were minor girls below the age of 16 years, Gandhi claimed.

In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Prajwal Revanna travelled to Germany on a diplomatic passport and he did not seek political clearance for the trip.

''No political clearance was either sought from or issued by MEA in respect of the travel of the said MP to Germany,'' MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing while replying to a volley of questions on the MP's reported travel to Germany.

''Obviously, no visa note was issued either. No visa is required for diplomatic passport holders to travel to Germany. The Ministry has not issued visa note for any other country,'' the MEA spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, JD(S) MLC Suraj Revanna said that the scandal and charges of sexual abuse levelled against his brother Prajwal was a ''conspiracy'' to weaken their family politically.

He claimed that he has no information about the whereabouts of Prajwal Revanna, who has been served a notice by the Special Investigation Team over the alleged sex scandal involving him.

He termed the scandal and charges of sexual abuse against his brother and his father and MLA H D Revanna, a former Minister, as a conspiracy to weaken them politically, and expressed confidence about Prajwal's win in the Lok Sabha polls.

On an FIR being registered against his father H D Revanna too, he said, ''Let them put a thousand more (FIRs), what has to be proved will ultimately get proved. People of our taluk and district know what Revanna is. I don't want to react.'' ''Anyone can do anything out of political malice. If you take Hassan politics, there is no competitor for Revanna. There is no one who has done politics like him. To weaken him, all these conspiracies are being hatched,'' he added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)