In the grand procession of Lord Ganesha organized by the Hindu Jagarana Vedike and the Hindu Mahaganapati Pratishthapana Committee in T. Narasipura.

NEW DELHI: Karnataka Police on Sunday registered an FIR against former BJP MP Pratap Simha and others over an alleged provocative speech made during a Ganesha idol procession in T Narasipura, Mysuru.The FIR was registered at the T Narasipura police station following a complaint by a police sub-inspector, who alleged that Simha made derogatory remarks over a microphone targeting Inspector Dhananjay during Friday’s procession.The procession and idol immersion were held amid tight security.Row over police warningThe FIR comes amid a controversy over a reported warning by the T Narasipura town police inspector to organisers installing Ganesha idols in public ahead of the festival. The inspector had reportedly asked them not to burst crackers in front of a mosque during the idol procession, triggering protests by opposition parties.Reacting to the FIR, Simha alleged that he had been booked under pressure from Karnataka home minister Priyank Kharge and said he would approach the court.“I, too, got to know about the FIR through the media. Why has an FIR been registered? If an FIR has been registered for inciting, who was inciting? It was the inspector who did it. An FIR should have been filed against him,” Simha told reporters.He alleged that the inspector had instigated the situation and made derogatory remarks against those following “Hindutvavadis”.“We have respect for the police department, and there are several good officers here in Mysuru. Why have such a person among them? An FIR should have been filed against the inspector, and action should be taken against him,” he said.

Simha further claimed that 21 FIRs had previously been registered against him and that the latest case was the 22nd.“We know who the Home minister is. Under pressure from him, the FIR has been filed… Twenty-one FIRs have been filed against me; this is the 22nd. All cases against me are on Hindutva and nationalist issues… I will go to court and seek justice,” he said.