Prajwal Revanna likely to reach India on Friday midnight: Sources

Suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna has booked a return flight from Munich to Bengaluru for May 30. The Hassan MP and grandson of JDS chief HD Deve Gowda is expected to land in Bengaluru in the wee hours of May 31, news agency PTI reported citing sources within the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Karnataka government. 

The SIT officials are camped at the Kempegowda International airport to arrest him as soon as he lands. Revanna had previously cancelled his flight ticket from Germany twice in the past, as per the sources.

The MP fled to Germany soon after the Karnataka State Commission for Women requested CM Siddaramaiah to order a probe into the explicit videos showing women being allegedly assaulted by him. 

Prajwal Revanna claims he was 'depressed'

Two days back, the MP seeking re-election from Hassan promised in a video message that he would appear before the SIT on May 31 and cooperate with the inquiry. "Don't mistake me, on the 31st at 10 am, I will be in front of the SIT and I will cooperate. I trust the judiciary and these are false cases against me," he said in the video. 

In the video, he apologised to his parents and claimed that he was depressed. "I apologise to my parents... This is a political conspiracy against me. I was depressed and went into isolation," Revanna said. The video came days after his grandfather and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda warned him to return immediately to India. 

Deve Gowda's stern letter to Prajwal Revanna

Urging Prajwal to not test his patience any further, Deve Gowda asked Revanna to return to the country and surrender to the police. Gowda, who is also the former Prime Minister of India, said in the letter that he believed Prajwal should be subject to the "harshest of punishments." 

"I am aware of it. I do not wish to stop them. I do not wish to criticise them. I will not try and argue with them that they should have waited until the facts were found out," Gowda said in the letter. 

Karnataka Home Minister, SIT officials on Prajwal Revanna case

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said the next procedure to bring back Revanna will begin if he fails to appear before the SIT on May 31. "I don't know what prompted him to release that video... We will see what happens on May 31. If he doesn't turn up (before SIT), the next procedure will start," Parameshwara said.

Meanwhile, the SIT conducted searches at Revanna's residence in Hassan on Tuesday. "Some incriminating materials have been seized," the SIT said. 

Revanna is facing sexual assault charges after a huge cache of obscene videos featuring several women allegedly assaulted by him. So far, two cases of sexual assault have been registered against Revanna Junior.