HALDWANI — The Uttarakhand Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi following a complaint by a Valmiki community member alleging that the leader made provocative and caste-centric statements regarding a local post-event ceremony.
The case was registered at the Haldwani police station on a complaint filed by Amit Kumar, a member of the Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas, who alleged that Gandhi’s August 29 press conference statements misrepresented a local religious ritual as an act of untouchability.
Key Highlights of the Case & Legal Matrix
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Statutory Sections Applied: Police have invoked provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) governing the promotion of disharmony and deliberate outrage of religious feelings, alongside sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
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Genesis of the Dispute: The incident traces back to an August 11 “purification yajna” organized at Haldwani’s Ramlila Ground following an August 8 political gathering addressed by AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge.
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Complainant’s Submission: The complainant asserted that the venue ritual was a routine religious cleansing ceremony conducted jointly by residents across societal groups, including SC community members, without any reference to Kharge’s background.
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Political Argumentation: Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, had earlier condemned the ritual as an anti-Dalit display demanding criminal action under the SC/ST Act. Conversely, local organizers and BJP representatives maintained the drive was aimed at restoring the sanctity of the grounds following post-rally littering.
