Mandya (Karnataka) [India] August 28 : A 28-year-old man drowned in Belur lake in Mandya district of Karnataka during the immersion of a Ganesh idol on the occasion of Ganesh Visarjan, police officials said.
The deceased, identified as Pradeep, was a resident of Yarahalli village in Mandya. According to Mandya Superintendent of Police Mallikarjun Baladandi, the incident occurred during late-night immersion activities carried out by a group of youths.
"The youth were performing Ganesh immersion in Belur Lake at night. At this time, Pradeep, who had gone into the water with the youth, drowned and died. It is suspected that Pradeep had drunk alcohol and gone into the water," the SP said.
"The fire brigade personnel pulled out Pradeep's dead body. The case is under the jurisdiction of Mandya Rural Police Station", police said.
Earlier in the day, Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, a member of the erstwhile Mysore royal family, released a statement regarding the Chamundeshwari Temple and this year's Dasara festival celebrations, which are being planned by the Karnataka government.
In the statement, Wadiyar termed the Karnataka government's celebration plans and recent politics over the issue as "deeply disturbing".
Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje criticised Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar for his remark that "Chamundi Hills is not only for Hindus," calling it an attempt to appease the Congress high command.
Union Minister Karandlaje said, "To please the Congress high command, DK Shivakumar has started a new controversy. He has made a statement that 'Chamundi Hills is not only for Hindus.' I want to ask him why?... Chamundi Hills belongs to Hindus, and the temple is dedicated to them... In our state, the Waqf property dispute is still ongoing. Lakhs of acres of land that belong to farmers have been registered in the name of Waqf, and now DK Shivakumar wants to add one more property to it... DK Shivakumar recited the RSS anthem in the assembly session, which has angered the Congress high command. To remove this anger, he has created this new controversy".
Meanwhile, spiritual fervour marked the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations across the country. In Pune, more than 31,000 women gathered at the iconic Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Temple on Thursday morning to recite the Atharvashirsha and perform Ganpati Aarti. Despite heavy rain, devotees had assembled outside the temple as early as 2 am.
The ten-day festival, which began on Thursday, will culminate on Anantha Chaturdashi, with lakhs of devotees bringing Ganesh idols home to offer prayers and visit pandals.