KARIMNAGAR: The Ganesh immersion dispute in Karimnagar escalated into confrontation, with the BJP accusing the Congress-led Telangana government of failing to make adequate arrangements for devotees and questioning why a major Hindu festival was allowed to reach a crisis point over something as basic as water.
The controversy erupted at Chintakunta canal on September 21, ahead of the scheduled Ganesh murti immersion on September 23. BJP workers and members of Hindu organisations organised a ‘Chalo Chintakunta’ protest demanding that water be released from the Sri Ram Sagar Project (SRSP) into the dry canal. Police detained several protesters after the demonstration turned tense.
Multiple reports said protesters alleged that police used a lathi-charge; local reporting also described a confrontation between police and protesters before police used force to disperse them.
आखिर कांग्रेस पार्टी को हिंदू धर्म से इतनी नफरत क्यों है?
कांग्रेस शासित तेलंगाना में गणपति बप्पा के भक्तों पर लाठीचार्ज करोड़ों हिंदुओं का अपमान है।
चुनाव के समय मंदिर जाने का ढोंग करने वाले विपक्ष का मुखौटा उतर चुका है। तुष्टिकरण में अंधे हो चुके विपक्ष को इसका जवाब जरूर… https://t.co/RQXtsmEDsh
— Vinod Tawde (@TawdeVinod) September 21, 2026
“Why does Congress hate Hinduism?”
The argument is straightforward, if thousands of devotees are preparing for one of Telangana’s major religious festivals, why was a traditional immersion point left without adequate water until the eve of the festival?
The Chintakunta canal is normally among the locations used for Ganesh murti immersion in Karimnagar. This year, however, low rainfall and insufficient water levels in tanks and canals created difficulties across Karimnagar and neighbouring Sircilla.
Around 3,000 Ganesh murtis installed across 66 divisions of the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation are usually immersed at Manakondur tank, Kothapalli tank and the Chintakunta SRSP canal. Manakondur has adequate water, but Chintakunta was dry, leaving officials dependent on the SRSP system for water to reach the immersion point.
The issue had already drawn attention before September 21’s confrontation. Karimnagar MLA Gangula Kamalakar visited Chintakunta, discussed the situation with irrigation officials and sought the release of water. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar also instructed officials to address the issue.
Municipal authorities had meanwhile begun preparing the immersion location by clearing silt and weeds, completing bund-related works and making other arrangements in anticipation of water from SRSP.
A Chintakunta resident, M. Narayana, said the canal normally contained water during Ganesh immersion and appealed to authorities to release water from SRSP. Yet, the Congress-led government chose inaction, forcing thousands of devotees and local committees into a state of panic.
The flashpoint at Chintakunta
With the immersion ceremony approaching, BJP cadres took their demand directly to the canal. The protesters argued that the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation had made extensive arrangements for the immersion, but the shortage of water in the canal and other water bodies could create serious difficulties for devotees.
Under the banner of ‘Chalo Chintakunta’, protesters staged a dharna on the Karimnagar-Vemulawada main road and demanded immediate release of SRSP water.
The situation subsequently became tense. Police detained protesters, while reports from the spot described a confrontation between demonstrators and police. BJP leaders said that police resorted to a lathi-charge on the devotees.
It raises a larger question over the treatment of Hindu devotees under the Congress government.
The larger immersion problem
The water shortage is not confined to Chintakunta.
At Kothapalli tank, immersion arrangements have also been complicated after a private landowner approached the court seeking to prevent immersion on land falling within the tank’s Full Tank Level limits. Authorities have consequently been preparing arrangements on the other side of the tank.
In Sircilla, insufficient flow in the Manair river has forced municipal officials to look for alternatives. Two artificial immersion ponds, each measuring 100 feet by 100 feet and 12 feet deep, are being dug. Officials said the limited flow from the upper reaches would be diverted into these ponds.
The broader problem has therefore been linked to deficient rainfall and low water levels across tanks, canals and rivers, making the management of thousands of murtis particularly challenging.
Government finally clears water release
The dispute intensified on September 21, and on September 22 the Telangana Congress government gave the green signal for water to be released to Chintakunta to facilitate Ganesh murti immersion.
Officials were simultaneously clearing weeds and debris, installing equipment and completing other preparations at the canal. Bunds were also being constructed to retain the incoming water so that large murtis could be immersed safely. Local reporting said officials expected the water to reach the canal by September 22 night.
A separate report said irrigation authorities had released water from SRSP into the Kakatiya Main Canal as part of arrangements for Ganesh immersion.
