Indian MP arrested on sexual abuse charges upon returning to the country

Indian police have arrested a member of parliament who fled the country after being accused of sexually assaulting several women.

Prajwal Revanna, who left India on April 27, was arrested early Friday upon his arrival from Germany in the southern city of Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore).

Mr Revanna has denied all allegations against him.

The 33-year-old MP belongs to the Janata Dal (Secular) Party, which is allied with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

Mr Revanna, who belongs to an influential political family, is seeking re-election in the Hassan constituency in the southern state of Karnataka.

But shortly before the election in Hassan, thousands of USB sticks containing videos allegedly showing MPs abusing women were circulating in Karnataka, causing outrage.

Mr Revanna did not comment on the videos, but an official in his office said the videos had been doctored.

He fled the country shortly after the election in his constituency ended.

According to reports, the police have so far registered three cases of sexual harassment against the MP.

A special police team set up by Karnataka Chief Minister K. Siddaramaiah is investigating the cases.

On May 18, a special court issued an arrest warrant against Mr Revanna on the request of the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

A few days before his arrest, Mr Revanna had applied for provisional release, but a court rejected his request on Thursday.

After being missing for several weeks, Mr Revanna released a video on May 27 in which he said he would appear before the SIT on Friday.

The video emerged shortly after his grandfather, former Indian Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, urged him to return to India and face investigation.

Mr Revanna’s father HD Revanna and his uncle HD Kumaraswamy are both influential MPs in the Karnataka state parliament.

HD Revanna is also accused of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation in a complaint filed by a former family associate. He was arrested for six days but was released on bail last month. He has also denied the charges, calling them a political conspiracy.