BENGALURU: Activist Dinesh Kallahalli, who last week petitioned police that the then water resources minister Ramesh Jarkiholi was allegedly sexually exploiting a woman in return for a government job, withdrew his complaint on Sunday. Jarkiholi had resigned on moral grounds.
He said he was doing it because he was disappointed with developments that followed his complaint. Handing over a fivepage letter to Cubbon Park police through his legal counsel Kumar Patil, he said he was disappointed by statements of a few politicians and by state’s action of treating the woman and messenger like criminals. He had filed a complaint against Jarkiholi last week.
“The videos were uploaded even before I handed over the complaint to police. My specific demand was that cops ascertain whether the woman was sexually exploited. But the society launched a ‘shoot the messenger’ campaign targeting me and her,” his letter read.
“She was portrayed wrongly on social media and some said I had built a house by blackmailing people. There were threats from people and a campaign to defame me was launched,” he said. Patil said, “Kallahalli is not someone who succumbs to political pressure. His purpose was to provide justice to the woman but what is going on social media has led him to withdraw the complaint.” Police sources said they might call him to record his statement