(Trigger Warning: Mentions of child sexual assault)
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former chief minister of Karnataka BS Yediyurappa has been accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl on 2 February.
Based on a complaint filed by the minor's mother – who is a 53-year-old Bengaluru resident – on Thursday, 14 March, a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered at Sadashivnagar Police Station in Bengaluru.
As per the FIR accessed by The Quint, Yediyurappa has been booked under Section 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 354A (assault or criminal force to woman) of the Indian Penal Code.
The Quint has reached out to the Bengaluru Police for comment. This story will be updated as and when we receive a response.
What Does the Complaint Say?
As per the complaint filed by the mother – which The Quint has seen – she and her daughter had gone to meet the senior politician on 2 February to seek help in a cheating case related to a trading business, in which the mother was duped "of several crores".
The complaint also stated that the girl was a survivor of sexual assault.
The mother alleged in the complaint that she had approached Yediyurappa, urging him to help set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the cheating case.
She stated that Yediyurappa "listened to my problem" and that they spoke for about nine minutes.
"Mr Yediyurappa began to listen to my problem keenly on how I got cheated. Me and Yediyurappa spoke for around 9 minutes and he told his male maids to provide tea. Me and my daughter drank tea while speaking to him. During the nine minutes conversation I also informed that my daughter is a rape victim and then he said he know about her case."The complainant
"This was not the first time me and my daughter met Yediyurappa for support ... My daughter considers him as grandfather and calls him thatha and I used to call him appaji," the complainant further said.
Later, he called her minor daughter into a room for five minutes and allegedly sexually assaulted her, the complainant alleged.
The complainant also alleged that Yediyurappa threatened her not to "reveal the incident."
"I ... confronted Mr Yediyurappa and demanded an explanation for which he told me not to reveal the incident in an intimidating manner. I went back feeling threatened and did not have the courage to report the matter. However, I now thought over the issue and felt that this is too serious issue to be ignored," the mother claimed in the complaint.
Yediyurappa, speaking to the media on Friday, 15 March, said:
"I learnt that a woman has filed a complaint against me. The mother and daughter often used to come here but we never used to entertain them. Once, when she was in tears, we called her inside and enquired about her problems. She complained of injustice and other things."As per The South First
"Then, I telephoned the police commissioner (Bengaluru City) and asked him to look into their complaint. I sent them to the commissioner's office. Thereafter, she started to create nuisance against me," he said, as per The South First.
'Part of Congress' Toolkit Design'
Speaking to The Quint, Karnataka BJP spokesperson MG Mahesh said: "This case is part of the toolkit design of the Congress. The timing is suspicious as elections are around the corner. Yediyurappa ji is a stalwart, he meets thousands of people. This is a fraudulent case and is clearly a part of the toolkit design."
Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said that "there is not political angle to" the case, news agency ANI reported.
"Last night around 10 pm, a lady registered a complaint against BS Yediyurappa. Police have registered the case. Until we know the truth, we can't reveal anything. This is a sensitive thing as it involves a former CM. I don't think there is any political angle to this. If the distressed woman needs protection, then it will be given," he said, as per the news agency.
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