My head has been reeling and my mind is in turmoil. Kannadigas are generally docile and peace-loving folks. We are unused to the weekly doses of shock that we are experiencing. For the past couple of months, real-life horror stories of rapes, murders, and molestation have been tumbling out in quick succession. They make us feel that we have been living in the Badlands ripped from a psycho drama.
Karnataka’s male politicos just can’t zip up apparently. Even as the long arm of the law managed to grab hold of Prajwal Revanna, former MP and grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, who’s been arrested for alleged sexual abuse of women, his father HD Revanna was also arrested for kidnapping a woman though he was released on bail. Now it’s Prajwal’s brother Suraj who’s behind bars for raping men. While there’s shame and scandal in this family, appalling charges have been filed against former chief minister BS Yediyurappa for allegedly molesting a minor girl. It’s going to be a long time before the truth is out of course. A lot is riding on the investigation being foolproof and the prosecution making a strong case.
Throughout the multiple dramas unfolding parallelly, let’s look at the treatment of various women involved in the case. Hassan district, the stronghold of Revanna’s family, was roiled by the videotapes supposedly recorded by Prajwal while having sex. While some of the women he allegedly raped were domestic workers, some of them were apparently women who seemed to be fairly better off. They probably sought some favour—a transfer or a promotion—and the sex was a quid pro quo. I am told a few are very good-looking. As appalling as Prajwal’s alleged actions, the lascivious circulation of the latter videos is outrageous. They have become the political elite’s blue films and are shared with mock sympathy. Different strokes for different folks, did you say?
I’d have to agree when it comes to bail. While the police maintained Prajwal’s mother Bhavani Revanna was the “mastermind” and “kingpin” in the abduction of a victim of sexual assault by Prajwal, the Karnataka High Court granted her anticipatory bail. The judge ruled, “Our Constitution does not enact Idi Amin jurisprudence, nor does our criminal justice system.”
I quote media reports of the judgment passed by Justice Krishna Dixit who maintained that the investigating agencies should be very cautious while seeking the custodial interrogation of women. “In our social structure, women are the epicenters of family life; their displacement, even for a short period, ordinarily disturbs the dependents. Added, they are emotionally attached to the family. Therefore, investigating agencies should be very cautious while seeking their custodial interrogation. Women by their very nature deserve preferential treatment inter alia in matters relating to bail, regular or anticipatory.”
Indeed, the safety of women was the crux of the special public prosecutor’s argument on behalf of the SIT. Police investigation revealed that Bhavani was the mastermind behind the abduction. It said her motive was to prevent the victim from filing a complaint against her son and had collected supporting evidence during the investigation.
A reasonable question that can be asked is whether these women and their families deserve similar consideration—and wouldn’t their displacement have disturbed their dependents? Bhavani Revanna is regarded as powerful but she didn’t use her power to help the victims. After first failing to protect the women who worked in her household, she didn’t support them either and sought to suppress their voices to save her son.
Let’s turn our gaze to a reel-life hero who’s now being tagged a real-life villain. In the middle of all the sex scandals, came the arrest of well-known actor Darshan and his partner Pavithra Gowda for the alleged murder of a fan who trolled her. Some years earlier, Darshan was arrested for domestic violence and attempted murder. Over the years, when Pavithra’s relationship with Darshan was growing, Vijayalakshmi criticized Pavithra’s character for choosing to be with a married man. She threatened to sue Pavithra for posting a romantic video with the actor. But when he was jailed for the murder, she dutifully visited Darshan in jail and is the supportive spouse.
In an extramarital affair, why is it always the other woman’s fault? Shouldn’t the married man be questioned for the extramarital affair? And why do women try so hard to hold on to a husband, even one who’s abusive and openly unfaithful? Instead of standing by your man, ask yourself do you want such a man?
Sandhya Mendonca is an author and host of ‘Spotlight with Sandhya’ podcast.