Bengaluru (The Hindu): Even as the police suspect that BJP and RSS activist J. Ravi near Magali village in Periyapatna taluk could have died in a road accident, the BJP has called it “murder with a political motive”, linking it to the ongoing controversy around Tipu Jayanti celebrations.

The BJP State president B.S. Yeddyurappa, in a strongly-worded statement, said it was “part of a series of attacks on RSS and BJP workers”, while holding the Congress government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah “directly responsible” for it. He said that the BJP would intensify its protests against Tipu Jayanti celebrations.

However, based on circumstantial evidence, the police suspect that Ravi might have succumbed to head injuries suffered in a possible mishap while returning from Periyapatna on Friday night.

“Ravi might have fallen off his scooter after a crash. He had suffered blood loss owing to head injury besides a fractured rib following the fall. Moreover, there were scratch marks on the road, perhaps caused by the scooter. Scratch marks have also been found on the scooter. These circumstances indicate a possible mishap. But, the investigation will look into all aspects and the suspicions of family members,” said Assistant Superintendent of Police Harish Pandey, who is heading one of the two teams probing the case.

Amidst protests by BJP cadres here, the post-mortem was conducted at K.R. Hospital mortuary and the body shifted to his village for last rites under police security. The post-mortem and forensic reports are expected in a couple of days, Mr. Pandey said.

Speaking to reporters, Pratap Simha, Mysuru MP, refuted the accident theory. “It cannot be a mishap since the vehicle was not damaged. He might have been hit strongly on the head by a heavy object,” he said. Police are also examining the footage of Friday’s peace meeting, which was attended by Ravi along with other BJP activists.

“If at all there was an accident, why were there no injuries on Ravi’s face and bruises on the body?” asked senior BJP leader C.H. Vijayashankar.

Ravi had political ambitions and had lost by a thin margin in the previous taluk panchayat elections, BJP sources said.