Mangaluru: The Mangaluru City Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Mangaluru South MLA Vedavyas Kamath and 11 others following tensions at a religious gathering in Shaktinagar. The move has sparked criticism from local community leaders, who allege political motives behind the development.

A panel of elders from the area, led by Kushal Kumar K., issued a statement on Tuesday, accusing certain political workers of attempting to disrupt communal harmony in Shaktinagar for “petty political gains.” The controversy stems from an incident on March 2 during the Brahmakalashotsava ceremony at Sri Krishna Temple in Kanadka, where a section of attendees staged a protest against the MLA.

According to eyewitness accounts cited by the panel, Kamath arrived at the venue around 6:30 pm, followed by Y. K. Purushotham ten minutes later. The protest erupted when some local residents, including Asha, Dayananda Naik, Yashavanth Prabhu, and Sushanth, confronted the legislator over alleged past remarks that they claimed were dismissive of their concerns.

As the event progressed, Kamath reportedly exited the premises after participating in the ceremony, but a section of the gathering attempted to block his departure, expressing their grievances. The MLA, however, urged them to focus on the religious rituals rather than engaging in disputes.

Tensions subsided temporarily with the arrival of Karnataka Legislative Council member Ivan D’Souza at around 8:00 pm. After attending the ceremony, he left the venue at 9:00 pm following a formal send-off. However, as Kamath was leaving, the situation escalated again when a group allegedly heckled him, using inappropriate language and disrupting the event’s decorum.

Supporters of the MLA have condemned the protest, highlighting his contributions to Shaktinagar’s development, including securing approval for a pre-university college and undertaking infrastructure projects without communal bias. They termed the FIR against Kamath and his associates as a “hasty and arbitrary” decision.

Meanwhile, Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Anupam Agarwal confirmed that an investigation was underway. He also noted that in a separate complaint, a local leader named Mani has accused six to seven unidentified individuals, allegedly affiliated with the Congress party, of issuing threats and using caste-based slurs against him.