Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manikanta Narendra Rathod, 30, has been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for allegedly making inflammatory remarks targeting the Muslim community. The video, posted by Manikanta on Facebook and widely circulated on Saturday, May 31, has triggered tensions in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district.
In the video, Manikanta is heard referencing a recent rape case involving a Lambani girl, allegedly committed by Muslim men. Speaking in Lambani, he reportedly incites retaliatory violence and calls for the mass killing of Muslims. He can be heard saying that those accused of “love jihad” should be killed within eight days, and claimed that if the police were kept away for just 15 minutes, “all Muslims in the district could be massacred.”
The video provoked sharp criticism from civil society groups and political leaders, who demanded immediate action. Following a complaint by Syed Aleem Ilahi (34), the Cyber Crimes, Economic & Narcotic Offences (CEN) Police Station in Kalaburagi registered a First Information Report (FIR).
He has been booked under sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups), 197 (imputations or assertions prejudicial to national integration), 299 (outraging religious feelings), 253 (statements conducing to public mischief), and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
“The FIR is registered and the investigation is on. Presently, [the] accused is not in Kalaburagi district. We will take action as per the law,” Kalaburagi Police Commissioner SD Sharanappa told The Hindu.
Manikanta Rathod has a history of criminal cases in Kalaburagi and Yadgir districts, including charges of smuggling Public Distribution System (PDS) rice under the Anna Bhagya scheme and for allegedly issuing threats to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and his family. His repeated run-ins with the law had earlier led the Kalaburagi police to issue orders barring him from the district. He was previously arrested by Yadgir police in connection with a rice theft case in Shahapur.
Despite his criminal background, the BJP fielded Manikanta as its candidate in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly Elections from Chittapur, where he contested against Congress leader and current Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge. He lost the election, which saw high-voltage campaigning from senior BJP leaders including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.