Karnataka: BJP leader CT Ravi accuses Congress leaders of murder plot after arrest over derogatory remarks
BJP leader CT Ravi filed a counter-complaint accusing Congress leaders, including Lakshmi Hebbalkar and DK Shivakumar, of plotting to murder him. The controversy began after Ravi was accused of making sexually abusive remarks towards Hebbalkar.
CT Ravi, a former Karnataka minister and BJP MLC, who was arrested on Thursday for making 'derogatory' comments about Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, claimed that there was a conspiracy to have him killed through a false complaint. The BJP leader also accused the police of negligence, stating that they had failed to file a complaint or a zero FIR.
"Police brought me to Khanapura police station around 8 pm. They didn't tell me in which case they brought me. They're not registering my complaint, they're not even filing zero FIR," CT Ravi said in a video released by news agency ANI.
The BJP leader also alleged that a conspiracy had been plotted to murder him and stated that the ruling Congress government in Karnataka would be held accountable.
"If something happens to me, Congress government must take responsibility. By registering a false case, they're conspiring to murder me," he said.
The incident occurred after former minister Ravi was arrested on Thursday at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha premises. He was charged with making derogatory remarks about Karnataka’s Minister for Women and Child Development, Laxmi Hebbalkar. Initially detained on the premises, Ravi was then transferred to a nearby police station in a van and later moved to the Khanapur station, 25 kilometers away.
The BJP leader accused the Congress government of using 'Emergency-like' tactics, stating, "They are treating me like a criminal, and it's causing doubt in me. I have served as a minister and I am a representative of the people."
In response, CT Ravi filed a counter-complaint, accusing Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Chamaraja Hattiholi, DK Shivakumar, and Saddam of conspiring to murder him.
Senior BJP leader Ravi has been accused of sexual harassment and charged under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for allegedly using words, gestures, or actions meant to insult a woman's modesty. Ravi, however, denied the allegations on Thursday, calling them "false."
The controversy began on Thursday following a heated exchange between the ruling and opposition parties in Karnataka over alleged comments by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, which were seen as disrespectful towards Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. During this turmoil, Ravi was accused of making a sexually inappropriate remark aimed at Congress member Hebbalkar.