This is the house where Hassan MP allegedly raped a woman and it is part of…

Prajwal Revanna, MP accused of sexual abuse, is alleged to have used former prime minister and Rajya Sabha member HD Deve Gowda’s official residence in Hassan for his criminal acts.

In a complaint filed against the Janata Dal (S) leader on May 1, a woman alleged that she was raped at his official residence on RC Road in Hassan. The residence is located next to the office of Police Commissioner Hassan.

The building was referred to as “members’ quarters” by JD(S) office-bearers. However, this was allotted to the former prime minister on his request when he represented Hassan in the Lok Sabha.

When The Hindu contacted Hassan Deputy Commissioner C. Sathyabhama. The official said after checking the records of the Public Works Department (PWD) that the structure was constructed by the government and allotted to a “former prime minister and Lok Sabha member” on March 7, 2018. It stayed with him. “There was no new order to allot the structure to current MP Prajwal Revanna,” she added.

Gowda’s request

Earlier, Mr. Gowda stayed with his relative Kale Gowda during his visit to Hassan. He had asked the district administration for suitable accommodation in the city as he wanted to spend more time in Hassan.

The administration chose the PWD quarters next to Police Commissioner Hassan’s office on RC Road. By this time, the PWD had demolished the old building and was planning to construct an officers’ quarters. In 2017, PWD officials were directed to allocate the same amount to Mr. Gowda and improve the design to meet the former prime minister’s requirements.

Interestingly, the design is said to have been finalized by Mr Deve Gowda’s son HD Revanna on the advice of a ‘Vaastu’ expert. Some parts of the structure were removed to conform to the revised design.

After the building was completed, Mr. Gowda stayed there during his visits to Hassan. He contested for Lok Sabha from Tumakuru in 2019 and lost. A year later, in June 2020, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha.

Mr Prajwal Revanna, who was elected to the Lok Sabha on the JD(S) ticket in 2019, regularly stayed at the two-storey building. He often met party workers there. Former minister Revanna regularly met the press at the office.

crime

The woman said in her complaint that in 2021 she visited the “MP’s office and quarters” regarding the admission of girls to a hostel. The accused, Mr. Prajwal Revanna, locked her in a room and raped her. He allegedly threatened her that if she didn’t cooperate with him, he would kill her husband with the gun he owned. The Lok Sabha member recorded his act on his mobile phone.

Following the complaint, the special investigation team probing the complaints against Mr. Prajwal Revanna conducted the mahazar at the official residence on Saturday.