Former Janata Dal (Secular) MP Prajwal Revanna, convicted of rape and currently serving a life sentence at Bengaluru Central Prison, was allegedly found in possession of a mobile phone during a surprise raid by the Crime Branch on 12 August, triggering sharp political reactions and a formal investigation into the security lapse. The raid was conducted on the direct instructions of the Karnataka Home Minister.

How the Raid Unfolded

IPS officer Alok Kumar said Crime Branch officials reached Bengaluru Central Prison at approximately 2 pm and conducted searches across VIP and high-security areas, including barracks housing accused in NDPS, terror, and Naxal-related cases. 'During the search, a mobile phone was seized from the barrack of former MP Prajwal Revanna. An investigation is underway to determine how the phone got there, who it belonged to and how it was being used. Another inmate was also present in the barrack,' Kumar said. Searches were also carried out in the barracks of actor Darshan and Pavithra Gowda.

Action Against Prison Officials

Authorities moved swiftly against prison staff over the security breach. Jail Assistant Superintendent Eeranna Rangapur has been suspended for alleged negligence, while Jail Superintendent Ansuch Kumar has been served a show-cause notice. A case has been formally registered, and investigators are working to establish how the device entered the facility.

Congress Demands Strict Action

Congress leaders were unsparing in their criticism. Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said no one should be considered above the law. 'His father is a minister, and his grandfather was the Prime Minister of the country. They consider themselves to be above the law. The way he treated women... the more it is condemned, the less it is. Now that he is in jail, he is violating the law there as well. Strict action must certainly be taken against him,' Tiwari said.

Congress MP Jebi Mather called for a thorough probe into how the phone reached Revanna, adding that political connections could not be ruled out. 'What has now happened inside the jail is not acceptable. This needs to be seriously looked into... There may have been political connections involved. Therefore, a detailed investigation is necessary,' she said.

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge asserted that the law must apply equally to all prisoners regardless of their profile. 'It does not matter who the prisoner is -- X, Y or Z. He has committed a crime and is in prison. That is all that matters,' Kharge said.

Who Is Prajwal Revanna

Revanna is the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and the nephew of Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. He is serving a life sentence after being convicted of rape, intimidation, and circulating videos of the sexual assault of a 48-year-old woman who worked as domestic help at the Revanna family's farmhouse in Hassan district's Holenarasipura. The survivor alleged she was repeatedly assaulted from 2021 onwards and that Revanna recorded the assaults, threatening to release the videos if she disclosed the abuse.

Revanna had fled to Germany after the videos surfaced publicly, was subsequently suspended by the JD-S, lost the 2024 Lok Sabha election, and was arrested upon his return to India. The latest incident suggests that incarceration has not fully severed his access to the outside world — a detail that is likely to intensify scrutiny of prison administration in Karnataka.