Karnataka BJP Leader CT Ravi Booked After Speech at Ganesh Rally Turns Controversial

A police case has been filed against Karnataka BJP MLC CT Ravi for a speech he gave during a large Ganesh idol immersion rally in Maddur, Mandya, on Wednesday. Police said his speech could hurt religious harmony and included remarks against the Muslim community. The case was filed by Maddur police on their own (suo motu), under Section 176 of the BNSS Act.

The BJP had organised the rally as a protest after violence broke out during an earlier Ganesh immersion event on September 7, where stones were thrown at the procession. That incident led to clashes in the area.

To show strength, BJP leaders brought a huge, decorated Ganesha idol through the main streets of Maddur on a truck. Senior leaders like BJP state president BY Vijayendra, Opposition leaders R Ashoka and Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, and many MLAs and party workers took part, along with several Hindutva supporters.

The rally went through Pete Street, the same place where the stone-pelting happened days earlier.

Speaking at the event, Vijayendra demanded a judicial inquiry into the September 7 violence and blamed the police for failing to act in time. He criticized Mandya District Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy for his comments and said the chief minister was wrongly accusing the BJP of trying to create tension.

Vijayendra claimed that stones were kept inside a mosque ahead of the violence and accused some groups of planning attacks. He said the government should use the Goonda Act against those responsible and asked Hindu supporters to stay strong. He also called for the Chief Minister and Home Minister to visit Maddur.

Opposition leader R Ashoka blamed the Congress government’s "vote bank politics" for the unrest, calling it a clear case of communal trouble.

The rally ended with the immersion of several Ganesh idols in the Shimsha River, a tributary of the Cauvery.