Women cops ‘greet' Prajwal upon return
Suspended JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, facing sexual abuse allegations, was arrested on Friday upon his return from Germany, a month after he left the country in the wake of explicit videos of his alleged actions doing the rounds in Karnataka's Hassan.
In a clear messaging by the SIT probing the allegations, a team of women police personnel 'welcomed' Prajwal upon his arrival here, as they were deputed to execute a warrant and take him to the CID office for interrogation.
After evading summons and staying out of the country for a little over a month, the 33 year-old grandson of JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda landed at Bengaluru past midnight from Germany's Munich, only to be arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) minutes later and whisked away for questioning.
The NDA Lok Sabha candidate from Hassan, facing allegations of sexually abusing several women, was arrested after completing the due process, and further legal procedures will follow, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said. Prajwal's advocate said the former was extending full cooperation to the SIT probe and cautioned against any media trial in the case.
During the procedure of executing the arrest warrant, he was flanked by the women police personnel who were led by two IPS officers, Suman D Pennekar and Seema Latkar. He was then taken in a jeep in which only women police were present. They took him to the CID office.
The MP was later taken for medical examination under tight security. The SIT is also contemplating a potency test on Prajwal. A potency test is done to ascertain if a rape accused is capable of committing sexual assault on victims.
Meanwhile, Prajwal's advocate, Arun G, too met him. "I went to speak to him. He has told the media that he has come forward to cooperate with the investigation. So he has requested that there be no media trial. Let there be no negative campaign unnecessarily," Arun said.
Deve Gowda had recently issued a 'stern warning' to Prajwal, asking him to return to the country and face probe into the sexual abuse allegations, while asserting there will be no interference from him or other family members into the enquiry.
Denied court relief, Kejriwal is ‘proud of going to jail'
With only two days left for his interim bail to end, AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said he will surrender before the police at Tihar Jail on Sunday. The AAP chief said he feels "proud" that he is going to jail to "save the country from dictatorship". "I will surrender the day after tomorrow. I will leave my house at around 3:00 pm to surrender. It is possible that this time they will torture me more, but I will not bow down", Kejriwal said.
AAP convener is currently out on interim bail, claiming his body has lately shown symptoms of a serious disease. In an emotional video message to the people of Delhi on Friday, Kejriwal, who is supposed to surrender at Tihar Jail on Sunday, June 2, asserted that the work being done in Delhi by his Government will not stop.
"We are all fighting dictatorship together. If something happens to me to save the country, if I even lose my life, do not be sad," said Kejriwal who was arrested in Delhi excise policy case.
He assured the Delhiites that all facilities available to them, including 24-hour free electricity, treatment, bus ride for women will continue.
"We are all fighting dictatorship together. If something happens to me to save the country, if I even lose my life, then do not be sad," Kejriwal said.
He said the Supreme Court had given me 21 days to campaign for the elections.
"Tomorrow 21 days are getting over and I have to surrender the day after tomorrow. I will go back to Tihar Jail the day after tomorrow. I don't know how many days these people will keep me in jail this time. But my spirits are high. I am proud that I am going to jail to save the country from dictatorship. They tried to break me in many ways, tried to bow me down, tried to silence me. But they did not succeed," he said.
The AAP supremo said when he was in jail they tortured me in many ways. "They stopped my medicines. I have been a serious diabetic for 20 years. For the last 10 years I have been getting insulin injections daily. I get injections in my stomach four times every day. In jail, they stopped my insulin injections for many days and my sugar reached 300, 325 (mg/dL). If the sugar remains so high for so many days, then the kidney and liver get damaged. I don't know what these people wanted, why did they do this," he said.
Mentioning about the unexplained weight loss during his incarceration, the AAP convener said during his 50 days stay in jail he lost 6 kilogram of weight.
"When I went to jail, my weight was 70 kilogram. Today it is 64 kilogram. Even after being released from jail, my weight is not increasing. Doctors are saying this can also be a sign of some major disease in the body. Many tests need to be done, ketone level in my urine has also increased a lot," he said.
Assuring the people of Delhi that all the facilities available to them will continue even in his absence, Kejriwal said, "You take care of yourself, I worry a lot about you in jail. If you are happy, then your Kejriwal will also be happy. I will not be among you, of course, but you don't worry, all your work will continue. Wherever I am, inside or outside the jail, I will not let the work of Delhi stop. Your free electricity, Mohalla clinics, hospitals, free medicines, treatment, free bus travel for women, 24 hours electricity and all other works will continue. And after returning, I will also start giving Rs 1,000 every month to every mother and sister," he said.
Making an impassioned appeal to the Delhiites who stood by him in difficult times to look after his aged and ailing parents, the AAP national convenor said, "I have always fulfilled my duty as a son of your family. Today I want to ask something from you for my family. My parents are very old, my mother is very ill and I worry a lot about them in jail. Take care of my parents after I am gone, pray for them, pray to God. Prayers have great power. If you pray for my mother daily, she will definitely remain healthy," he said.
