Bengaluru, August 13, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday rejected allegations that the state government was targeting former Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) MP Prajwal Revanna after a mobile phone and pen drive were recovered from his prison cell, leading to his transfer from a VIP cell to a regular barrack.
Kharge said there was nothing personal about the action against Revanna, who is serving a life sentence following his conviction in a rape case.
“The Government is targeting no one. Prajwal is a convict. Nothing is personal. The court has convicted Prajwal Revanna and, in that backdrop, he is in jail. When the facts are such, there is no question of targeting him,” Kharge told reporters in Bengaluru.
Revanna is the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and son of JD-S MLA H.D. Revanna.
The Home Minister said the government would take action against anyone found responsible for lapses or illegal activities inside prisons, regardless of rank.
“If there are illegal activities inside the prison, action should be initiated at any cost,” Kharge said, adding that an investigation was underway to determine who had provided the mobile phone to Revanna’s cell. He said the video related to the matter appeared to be old and that the investigation so far had found no evidence of Wi-Fi usage.
Kharge said no official, from a constable to an IPS officer, would be protected if found guilty. He also confirmed that the investigation would examine whether action should be taken against DGP (Prisons) Alok Kumar.
“Raids have been conducted with the intention of rectifying lapses in the prison system. Action was initiated after lapses were found during my visit to the prison,” he said.
Responding to the BJP’s allegation that Karnataka prisons had been turned into “resorts”, Kharge questioned whether BJP leaders had personally witnessed such conditions. He also referred to the tenures of BJP leaders Araga Jnanendra and R. Ashoka as state ministers and said such allegations were not tenable.
Several prison officials have already been suspended, while the government has ordered an audit of digital systems across all prisons in Karnataka. Kharge said the audit would determine how the security lapse occurred and identify those responsible.
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