Rahul Gandhi, 2 MPs booked for ‘insulting Sanatan Dharma’

Mangalore Today News Network

Varanasi, Aug 1, 2026: Varanasi Police on Saturday registered a case against Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and two other Members of Parliament for allegedly insulting Sanatan Dharma and hurting religious sentiments during an Opposition protest in Parliament.

According to Gaurav Banswal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Kashi Zone), the FIR was registered at Kotwali police station based on a complaint filed by a group of seers. The complaint alleged that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Independent MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, and Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad made remarks and staged acts in Parliament that insulted Sanatan Dharma.

Pappu Yadav represents Bihar’s Purnia constituency as an Independent MP, while Awadhesh Prasad is the Samajwadi Party MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Faizabad constituency.

Seer Jagatguru Balak Das alleged that Pappu Yadav’s actions during the protest insulted Lord Ram and Sanatan Dharma, calling the act "unforgivable."

"It has deeply hurt the religious sentiments of followers of Sanatan Dharma. We have therefore sought legal action against those responsible," he said.

The case stems from a protest staged by INDIA bloc MPs in Parliament on Friday over the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the police action against students who marched to Parliament on July 20.

As part of the demonstration, Opposition MPs placed donation boxes near the Makar Dwar entrance of Parliament to symbolically highlight the alleged temple donation theft. Rahul Gandhi and other MPs were seen placing money into the boxes, while Pappu Yadav, dressed in saffron attire, enacted a skit by pretending to pocket the donations.

The Opposition also demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and criticised his absence from Parliament. MPs raised slogans including "Amit Shah istifa do," "Amit Shah sadan mein aao," and "Chadhawa chor, gaddi chhor."

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party MPs Awadhesh Prasad and Dharmendra Yadav, and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MP Mahua Maji were among those who participated in the protest, holding a banner that read, "Amit Shah sadan se gayab kyun?"