Bhavani Revanna: Power Behind the Scandal
Bhavani Revanna, mother of former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, is in the spotlight after being identified as the mastermind in the abduction of one of Prajwal’s alleged sexual assault victims. Earlier this week, she was granted anticipatory bail by the Karnataka High Court.
Bhavani, 55, gained public attention in December 2023 when a video of her angry outburst went viral. After her luxury car was involved in an accident with a motorcyclist near Saligrama in Mysuru, she angrily confronted the motorcyclist without checking on the injured villagers. “Burn that motorcycle,” she yelled.
The car involved was registered to Ashpra Infra Engineers, a company owned by businessman Kiran Reddy, who has business connections with Bhavani and her husband H D Revanna, a JD(S) MLA and former state minister.
For over two decades, the Revanna family has been influential in Hassan and nearby areas, largely due to the political legacy of Revanna’s father, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. Although Revanna, 66, is the political face of the family, Bhavani is considered the real boss. She has political ambitions of her own and has sought a JD(S) ticket for the Assembly multiple times, though she has only attained the position of a zilla panchayat member so far.
Bhavani’s younger son, Prajwal, entered politics in 2019, supposedly at her insistence, abandoning an MBA program in Australia to run for the Hassan Lok Sabha seat. Bhavani’s strong influence and the family’s dominant approach have put Prajwal and Revanna in a difficult political position, even before the sexual assault allegations against Prajwal surfaced.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating these allegations has accused Bhavani of trying to protect her son by masterminding the abduction of a victim to prevent her from filing a complaint. During the bail hearing, the prosecutor described Bhavani as the “kingpin” behind this scheme.
The Karnataka High Court, in granting Bhavani anticipatory bail, noted the significant role women play in family life and emphasized the need for caution in custodial interrogations of women.
Bhavani and seven others, including her husband, are now under investigation for their alleged involvement in the abduction and hiding of a victim of Prajwal’s alleged sexual assaults. The SIT has registered three cases against Prajwal based on evidence from videos of the assaults.
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