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Newsbeat

French Tourist Allegedly Assaulted by Guide in India

French Tourist Allegedly Assaulted by Tour Guide in Tiruvannamalai

 

A French woman on a spiritual pilgrimage in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, was allegedly sexually assaulted by a local tour guide who misled her under the pretext of meditation. Authorities have identified and arrested the accused, 42-year-old Venkatesan, a resident of Tiruvannamalai town.

According to police reports, the woman, who is in her 40s, had arrived in the temple town in January and was staying at a private lodge while visiting various ashrams and pilgrimage sites. During her stay, she encountered Venkatesan, who convinced her that meditating on Arunachala Hill would provide spiritual enlightenment.

On Monday, the accused allegedly took the woman to a restricted area of the hill, maintained by the Forest Department, claiming it was an ideal location for meditation. It was there that the assault reportedly took place. The woman raised an alarm, attracting the attention of devotees and passersby on the Girivalam path, a pilgrimage route around the sacred hill. With their assistance, she managed to escape and subsequently contacted the French Consulate in Chennai.

Following the formal complaint lodged by the consulate with Tiruvannamalai Superintendent of Police M. Sudhakar, the case was registered at the All Women Police Station in the town.

“We immediately formed special teams to identify the suspect. Multiple witnesses reported seeing the victim ascending the hill with a local man. Our investigation initially focused on five individuals who commonly work as tour guides. The victim later identified Venkatesan during a police lineup,” an official statement said.

Upon being alerted to the incident, authorities facilitated the victim’s medical examination at the Government Medical College Hospital in Tiruvannamalai.

Tiruvannamalai, known for its historic Annamalaiyar Temple and the ashram of revered sage Ramana Maharishi, is a renowned spiritual destination attracting thousands of visitors annually, particularly from Western countries. The town, much like Puducherry, is popular among foreigners who engage in extended stays for meditation and yoga practice.

Law enforcement officials confirmed that Venkatesan is in police custody and further investigations are underway to determine if he has been involved in similar offenses in the past.

Source.

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Newsbeat

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.

Image source: PTI

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.

Source.

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