FIR registered against Rahul Gandhi over remarks on ‘purification’ ritual at Kharge rally venue

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Aug 31, 2026: An FIR has been registered against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi following a complaint by a member of the Valmiki community in Haldwani, who alleged that Gandhi gave a casteist interpretation to a religious ritual conducted at the venue where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had addressed a public meeting.

According to police, the FIR was registered under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to promoting enmity between groups and deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings. Provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, have also been invoked.

The complaint was filed by Amit Kumar, a resident of Jawahar Nagar and a member of the Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas. He claimed that he was present during the ritual and cleanliness drive and alleged that Gandhi’s remarks at a press conference in New Delhi on August 29 had hurt the sentiments of the community.

Kumar alleged that Gandhi portrayed those involved in the ritual as practising “untouchability” and being “anti-Dalit”. He said people from different sections of society, including members of Scheduled Castes, had participated in the ritual and claimed it had no connection with Kharge’s caste.

The controversy began after some individuals allegedly performed a ‘purification yajna’ at the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani on August 11, three days after Kharge addressed a public meeting at the venue.

Gandhi had criticised the incident at his August 29 press conference and demanded an FIR under the SC/ST Act against those responsible for the alleged ‘purification’. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also demanded action, calling the incident “reprehensible and shameful” and alleging that it violated the SC/ST Act.

The BJP, however, defended the ritual, claiming that the venue had been left littered after Kharge’s rally and that inappropriate slogans had been raised at the religious site.

Following the FIR, Congress leaders criticised the BJP-led Uttarakhand government and said the party would respond through democratic and legal means.

Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttarakhand Kumari Selja questioned why an FIR was registered against Gandhi for speaking out against the alleged casteist act while no action had been taken against those who conducted the ritual.

“This is no coincidence but a deeply serious example of the BJP-RSS’s anti-Dalit and anti-Constitution mindset,” Selja alleged in a post on X.

She said Gandhi’s demand for legal action would not be silenced by FIRs or political pressure, and asserted that the Congress would continue its fight against caste discrimination and for the dignity of Dalits and the Constitution.