Karnataka Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi courts controversy after sexual harassment charge

Karnataka Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi landed thick in the middle of a controversy Tuesday after a social activist approached the police accusing him of sexually harassing a woman on the pretext of getting her a government job.

Kannada news channels widely aired video clips purportedly showing Jarkiholi getting intimate with the unidentified woman.

Denying any wrongdoing, Jarkiholi said this is “a big shock” and sought an investigation into this. He said it is a “100% fake video”.

This comes just two days before the start of the all-important Budget session of the legislature, causing embarrassment to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

Jarkiholi, who was in Mysuru, rushed to the city and met Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. He said he would rush to New Delhi to meet the BJP central leadership.

Social activist Dinesh Kallahalli approached Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant who directed him to the Cubbon Park police station to file a complaint.

“I don’t know who Kallahalli is. I don’t know who that woman is. I don’t know anything. I’m in a big shock. Let this be investigated,” Jarkiholi told reporters. “If I'm wrong, let them hang me," he added.

Jarkiholi, who represents Gokak, was among the chief architects in causing the downfall of the Congress-JD(S) coalition, paving the way for the BJP to come to power. He was earlier with the Congress.

The incident could potentially dent Jarkiholi’s political career. His family holds a clout in the politically-significant Belagavi, Karnataka’s largest district.

“The Jarkiholi family has built an empire. I’ve been a legislator for 21 years. Why was this done now? It’s a political gimmick,” the minister said. “I’m a dharmic man and I have no need to fear,” he said, adding that he will quit politics if proven wrong.

Kallahalli, who filed the complaint, said the victim and her relatives approached him as they were under threat. “I’m a social activist, so it is my responsibility to fight against such abuses. So, I contacted senior advocates and filed a complaint on her behalf," he said, alleging that Jarkiholi used Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi to meet the woman.

The police reportedly grilled Kallahalli on the origin of the video, details of the victim, whether she was willing to testify and why she or her family approached him in the first place. A senior officer told DH that an FIR cannot be registered solely on the basis of Kallahalli’s complaint.

DCP (Central) MN Anucheth, who is said to have been asked by Pant to look into the complaint, said necessary action will be taken after obtaining more details. “The family members of the woman in the video are yet to give information to us,” he said, adding that the police will inquire with the woman as well.

This is not the first sex scandal involving a minister. In 2016, Congress’ HY Meti was forced to resign from the then chief minister Siddaramaiah’s Cabinet after a sleazy tape went public. He, too, was accused of misusing power. In 2010, BJP’s Hartal Halappa resigned when B S Yediyurappa was the CM after he was charged with sexual misconduct.

There was no immediate reaction from the chief minister’s office or the ruling BJP on the Jarkiholi controversy.

However, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi stopped short of admitting that this is an embarrassment. “It must be investigated,” he said. “As leaders, we need to be morally pure. We should be clean. But let’s not jump to conclusions too soon," he added.