Mysuru: T Narasipura police have registered an FIR against former MP Pratap Simmha and others in connection with a Ganesha idol immersion procession and alleged provocative sloganeering in front of a mosque in the town on Friday.The case was registered on Sunday based on a complaint filed by T Narasipura police sub-inspector NM Malleshaiah. The accused have been booked under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections related to unlawful assembly, rioting, promoting enmity, public mischief and obstructing public servants in the discharge of their duties.According to the FIR, the incident occurred around 9pm on Friday when the procession was passing along the controversial Link Road.The FIR alleges that Simmha stood on a vehicle and addressed the gathering. It further states that he and his associates gathered in large numbers, obstructed police personnel from performing their duties, and raised provocative and derogatory slogans in a public place.According to the complaint, the slogans were intended to hurt religious sentiments and create hostility between different communities, thereby disturbing public peace and affecting law and order.The FIR further states that police prepared a report based on observations made during bandobast duty and after examining videos recorded by police personnel and circulated on social media. The videos and the alleged conversation were copied and preserved as evidence along with the complaint.Police have invoked Sections 132, 191, 194, 196(1)(a), 196(1)(b), 299, 353(1)(b) and 353(1)(c) of the BNS, among other provisions.The development comes a day after a Congress delegation approached district police on Saturday evening, urging them to register a case against Simmha over what it described as provocative statements made during the procession.T Narasipura has remained tense since Sept 7 after a video of a peace committee meeting went viral. In the video, inspector Dhananjay allegedly warned Ganesha festival organisers against bursting crackers in front of a mosque on Link Road and carrying out processions without informing police.Subsequently, right-wing organisations installed a Ganesha idol near the police station and conducted the immersion procession in front of the mosque on Friday night.
