Bengaluru: Surrender or face the anger of your family — this is former Prime Minister and JD(S) chief H.D. Deve Gowda’s stern warning to his grandson Prajwal Revanna, the JD(S) MP from Hassan, who has been accused of sexual assault by several women.

The 33-year-old Prajwal, facing serious charges of sexual abuse, has triggered a national uproar. Allegations include rape, sexual assault, disrobing women and forcibly video-graphing sexual acts to intimidate the victims.

“I spoke to the media about Prajwal Revanna on May 18 when I was headed to the temple to offer puja. It took me some time to recover from the shock and pain he has inflicted on me, my entire family, my colleagues, friends and party workers. I have already said that he should be given the harshest punishment under the law if found guilty. My son and former CM H.D. Kumaraswamy, has advocated this line since the day the scandal broke,” he wrote in his public letter.

“At this juncture, I can do only one thing. I can issue a stern warning to Prajwal and ask him to return from wherever he is and surrender before the Police. He should subject himself to the legal process. This is not an appeal that I am making, it is a warning that I am issuing. If he does not heed to this warning, he will have to face my anger and anger of all his family members. The law will take care of the accusations against him, but not listening to the family will ensure his total isolation. If he has any respect left for me, he has to return immediately,” Deve Gowda wrote.

In his letter, Deve Gowda’s pain and betrayal are palpable. He recounted the shock and pain inflicted upon his family, colleagues and supporters before adding that if Prajwal is found guilty, he should face the harshest legal penalties. This stance is also supported by Kumaraswamy. Prajwal is the son of Deve Gowda’s other son, H.D. Revanna. He said that people (reacting to Prajwal sex scandal) have used the ‘harshest of words’ against him and his family in the last few weeks. “I am aware of it. I do not wish to stop them. I do not wish to criticise them. I will not try and argue with them that they should have waited until the facts were found out,” he said, expressing regret over the state of affairs.

Deve Gowda’s letter culminates in a stern ultimatum to Prajwal: Return to India and submit to the legal process. He vowed that neither he nor any family member would interfere in the legal proceedings.