Cong disrupts K’taka Assembly demanding Jarakiholi to be booked for rape

Bengaluru, March 23 (SocialNews.XYZ) Continuing its protest inside the Legislative Assembly, the Karnataka opposition Congress party on Tuesday succeeded in disrupting business in the Assembly.

The leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Siddaramaiah, along with Congress members, had been protesting in the Assembly well, in front of the Speaker since Monday late night after Home minister Basvaraj Bommai's reply on the sleaze CD case involving former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi.

After a day-long debate on the case under the Adjournment Motion on Monday, the Congress party had been demanding, citing the Nirbhaya case, that a rape case be lodged immediately against Jarakiholi. Also, a probe in this case must be monitored by sitting chief justice of Karnataka high court. The third demand is to ensure that all six ministers who have secured ex-parte injuction order must resign immediately.

The leader of the opposition, who also demanded a court-monitored probe, claimed the woman in a video message had said she was "utilised" and thus it would amount to rape.

"There is precedence and Nirbhaya case is standing example of this, Jarakiholi may have resigned but he must be booked under section 376 of the IPC be registered against Jarkiholi, otherwise we can't do justice to the woman," Siddaramaiah demanded.

Though Speaker Kageri adjourned the house on multiple occasions during the day, Siddaramaiah did not yield and asserted that the government's reply to the serious issue is just an eye wash.

However, Home minister Bommai continued to justify his reply stating there were contradictions in the complaint filed by a social activist which hampered proceeding furthers in the case.

He also insisted that the state government was doing its best to provide security to the woman, missing now, once she is located.

The minister's response did not satisfy the Congress party, whose members trooped into the well raising slogans against the government leading to adjournment of the House for the day.

Jarkiholi, the BJP MLA from Gokak, was forced to quit as minister on March 3, after a social activist, Dinesh Kallahalli lodged a police complaint alleging sexual harassment to a woman on March 2 evening.

Immediately after he lodged the complaint, video clips purportedly showing their intimate moments surfaced on local News channels as well as social media.

Denying his 'involvement' in any which way, Jarkiholi continued to claim his innocence, charging that these clips were fake and vowed to teach a lesson to the 'conspirators'.

Within four days of lodging the complaint, Kallahalli decided to withdraw it on March 7 through his counsel to the police, alleging that former Karnataka Chief Minister, H. D. Kumaraswamy was casting aspersions on him.

Raising this issue in the Assembly on Monday, Siddaramaiah had said that when the victim says 'she had been manipulatted', it means there was no consent for the act.

"An act without consent is a rape and noting else, therefore, Jarkiholi must be booked under rape provisions," he had argued

Replying to these charges, Bommai asserted that the complainant has not lodged a complaint with police yet, but it was submitted by a third party - Kallahalli - who did not have any information and whereabouts of the woman.

"After filing the complaint Kallahalli has withdrawn it too. Under such circumstances, neither the police nor the government can do much about it, unless she personally files a complaint," he said.

The home minister added that he has directed the SIT to investigate all possible angles of the case: Kallahalli's complaint of sexual exploitation, Jarkiholi's police complaint and the missing report filed by the father of the woman in Belagavi.

Regarding the video message in social media by the woman seeking protection, Bommai said it had been addressed to him and he was doing everything to locate her.

"We are not able to trace her because she is changing her location too frequently. Our five teams of 22 well trained officers are trying to locate her. The teams have travelled to Delhi, Bhopal, Goa, Belagavi and Bengaluru, but she is yet to be traced," he claimed.

He also said that the woman's father in the missing complaint did not mention that he attempted suicide as the victim has claimed in her video.

The minister also pointed out that there were contradictions in her video message as the woman alleged that Jarkiholi had 'utilised' her and later posted her objectionable video in the social media.

"Do you think any sane leader will make it public to defame himself and strip himself of ministerial portfolios?," Bommai countered Siddaramaiah.

Siddaramaiah also sought the resignation of six ministers who obtained ex-parte injunction from court against publishing of any defamatory materials against them in the media, including news channels and the newspapers.

"If the ministers are fearing they are being blackmailed, they should have approached the police and lodged a complaint. Why seek an ex-parte injunction order? This is a clear case that they too are involved in some kind of similar offence, they deserve to be sacked from the cabinet," he contended.

He claimed that all those Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs who defected and were responsible for the fall of the coalition government led by H. D. Kumaraswamy in 2019 and had camped in Mumbai felt threatened and sought an injunction.

Source: IANS