MYSURU: The police have suo motu registered an FIR against BJP MLC CT Ravi for, allegedly making a provocative speech during the mass Ganesh idol immersion procession in Maddur.
A case has been booked under Section 176 of the BNSS Act on the complaint of Maddur Police Sub-Inspector Manjunath, who stated that Ravi’s remarks disturbed communal harmony by targeting Muslims.
According to the FIR, Ravi, while addressing the participants in the procession, made statements inciting hatred against the Muslim community.
“Now 5% of Muslims are causing trouble, soon it will become 50%, making it difficult for our children and grandchildren to live. Some cunning people are dividing Hindu society for votes. There are those who support Muslims even if they raise pro-Pakistan slogans or throw bombs. If we had taught them a lesson when they hurled petrol bombs at the Ram temple, today’s situation would not have arisen. Hindus know how to cut off heads and bury them,” said Ravi. The complaint stated that such remarks were aimed at creating enmity and hatred between communities, thereby threatening peace.
Meanwhile, normalcy returned to Maddur three days after miscreants pelted stones at the Ganesh immersion procession. Traders who had shut their businesses in protest reopened shops and stalls on Thursday. Hotels, grocery stores, showrooms, and jewellery shops, too, resumed business after days of tension.
Although peace has largely been restored, heavy police deployment continues, particularly around sensitive areas such as the mosque and the dargah where stones were allegedly stockpiled. More than 10 Ganesh idols are still awaiting immersion, and contingents remain stationed in the town as a precaution.
On Thursday, a BJP legal team led by state legal cell coordinator Vasanth Kumar visited Maddur. The team inspected documents related to the mosque in Ram Rahim Nagar and collected details about the incident from the party leaders and activists.
Former minister and BJP leader MP Renukacharya also visited Maddur. Local residents and Hindu activists urged him to act against what they described as the ‘illegal construction of a mosque’ and alleged atrocities against Hindus in the town.
Later, Renukacharya told reporters: “A Taliban government is running Karnataka. Are those who attack Ganesh processions peace envoys? If they shout pro-India slogans in Pakistan, will they be spared there? Why no action has been taken against those who raise pro-Pakistan slogans here?”
“This government is being run not by Siddaramaiah but on the instructions of Rahul and Sonia Gandhi,” he alleged. He added that the BJP would not remain silent if attacks against the Hindus continued.