Rahul Gandhi Demands FIR Over Purification Ritual at Haldwani Rally Venue
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday termed the ‘shuddhikaran’ (purification) ritual performed at a rally venue in Haldwani, where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had earlier spoken, as an act of “untouchability” that violated the Constitution. Addressing a press conference, Gandhi urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and ensure the registration of an FIR against those responsible.
The purification ceremony took place at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani following Kharge’s address at a rally on August 10. Gandhi stated that 20 days had elapsed since the incident occurred without any legal action being initiated by the authorities. He alleged that workers associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were behind the ceremony, accusing them of attempting to deny dignity and progress to Dalits.
“We are demanding justice for the Congress president. It is the duty of the Central and State governments to ensure that Kharge ji gets justice,” Gandhi said. He criticised Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt for defending the ceremony, arguing that such acts equate to treating Dalits as impure.
Bhatt defended the ritual by stating it was not targeted at any individual, but was conducted because the grounds were allegedly polluted by slogans deemed inappropriate for a religious location. Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand Congress accused the Shri Ram Sena of carrying out the ceremony and claimed the group had links to the BJP, an allegation the BJP has denied. In Parliament, Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha J.P. Nadda had previously rejected the practice, stating that the BJP does not subscribe to such activities and that the matter would be investigated.
During the briefing, Gandhi displayed images of the Constitution and the Manusmriti, framing the Haldwani episode within an ideological conflict between constitutional safeguards and caste discrimination. He cited several instances of caste-based prejudice across the country and argued that attacks intensify against Dalits as they achieve greater success, referring to Kharge, Rajasthan Congress leader Tikaram Jully, and Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi.
