Karnataka sex tapes: Kumaraswamy and Shivakumar trade charges as JDS workers hold protests

JDS workers staged protests in Hassan urging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to drop deputy CM DK Shivakumar from the Cabinet for his alleged role in the circulation of pen drives containing explicit videos and to hand over the case to the CBI for an impartial probe. In Bengaluru, women JDS workers submitted a letter to the women’s commission demanding swift action to arrest the persons behind the distribution of video clippings. Meanwhile, the Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who is being probed by the special investigation team (SIT) for alleged abuse of women, is still at large.

In a day of escalated tensions in the JDS and Congress camps, the two top Vokkaliga leaders of both parties, Shivakumar and JDS Karnataka president HD Kumaraswamy accused each other of being the kingpin of pen drive distribution. Shivakumar called his arch-rival Kumaraswamy as ‘blackmail king’ while accusing him of being behind the pen drive distribution. He challenged the former CM to debate with him in the forthcoming assembly session.

Kumaraswamy questioned the credibility of the SIT probe and wondered why the team had not summoned the people, including car driver Karthik, for their involvement in the circulation of videos.


As the government came under pressure with Kumaraswamy and BJP leaders expressing doubts over the impartiality of the SIT investigation into the alleged abuse of women by Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, the government swiftly appointed Ashok N Nayak and Jayana Kothari as additional special public prosecutors in the FIRs registered in Holenarasipur and KR Nagar stations.

The SIT is investigating cases of alleged abuse of women by Prajwal Revanna and another case of molestation and attempted kidnapping against his father, senior JD (S) MLA HD Revanna. A magistrate’s court in Bengaluru remanded Revanna in judicial custody till May 14 in the case of alleged kidnapping of a victim registered at KR Nagar police station.

In Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy accused the government of trying to protect the real criminals who were behind the distribution of video clippings of victims. He demanded the SIT to come clean on where it ‘rescued’ an ‘abducted ‘victim from. The SIT officials brought her from her relatives’ house and fixed Revanna in a cooked-up case of abduction, he alleged.

In Hassan, the protestors said they have no faith in the SIT investigation as it was being influenced by the government. The protesters, led by Hassan JDS MLA A Manju, said senior JDS MLA HD Revanna had been framed in the case with ulterior motives.