After Prajwal Revanna, his brother now accused of sexual abuse
Police in Karnataka's Hassan district have booked two individuals for allegedly blackmailing Suraj Revanna, the brother of former Janata Dal (Secular) MP Prajwal Revanna, with a false case of sexual assault. The complaint against the men, identified as Chethan and his brother-in-law, was filed by Shivakumar, who is Suraj's close aide. In his complaint, Shivkumar alleged that the men demanded ₹5 crore and and threatened to file a sexual assault case against Suraj if their demands were not granted.
Accused allegedly pressured for employment and money
According to Shivakumar, Chethan first befriended him and sought his assistance in finding a job, so he gave him Suraj's number and told him to contact the politician. Things took a different turn when, on June 17, Chethan called Shivakumar, claiming he had gone to Suraj's farmhouse the day before to inquire about the job but had been turned down. Chethan then allegedly threatened to defame Suraj and his family, threatening to file a police report alleging sexual abuse.
Money ransom reduced from ₹5 crore to ₹2.5 crore
From then on, Chethan allegedly continued to blackmail Shivakumar, reducing his demand from ₹5 crore to ₹3 crore and ₹2.5 crore. His brother-in-law is also accused of participating in the blackmail by sending messages using Chethan's phone. On June 19, Chethan called Shivakumar again, reiterating their demands. Shivakumar and Suraj ultimately agreed to file a complaint against Chethan and his brother-in-law two days later, which resulted in the registration of the FIR.
Chethan files counter complaint
Shortly after the case was filed, Chethan made an appearance on a private channel, claiming that Suraj had sexually assaulted him at a farmhouse, NDTV reported. "He had put his hands on my shoulder and moved his hands everywhere. Thereafter, what shouldn't have happened, happened to me," he said. Chethan has also filed a counter-complaint, claiming that Suraj's accomplices attempted to blackmail and manipulate him by offering money and a job to hush up the incident.
Suraj's brother in judicial custody until June 24
The damning allegations against Suraj, who is also an MLC from Hassan, came days after his brother Prajwal was sent to judicial custody until June 24 in a sexual assault case. The scandal involving Prajwal came to light after thousands of pen drives with explicit videos, allegedly filmed by him, were circulated across Karnataka ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in Hassan. Both parents of Prajwal are also facing allegations of kidnapping a woman who was assaulted by their son.
