New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct the registration of an FIR under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against those allegedly involved in a “purification” ceremony held at a Haldwani venue following a rally addressed there by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Kharge spoke at the Congress gathering at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani on August 8. Two days later, members of the Shri Ram Sena were reportedly involved in a “shuddhikaran” havan at the venue. The Congress has alleged that the ceremony was conducted because Kharge belongs to the Dalit community.
Speaking at Indira Bhawan in New Delhi, Gandhi said the alleged act constituted an offence under the SC/ST Act and accused the authorities of failing to take action, as reported by Hindustan Times.
“This act violates the the SC/ST Act. Performing a ‘purification’ ritual is a crime. Yet, no action has been taken. Therefore, we demand that an FIR be registered immediately against those who carried out this purification ritual in Uttarakhand,” Gandhi said.
PM Modi Faces Congress Questions
Gandhi also sought an explanation from the BJP leadership over the alleged ceremony and questioned the prime minister’s position on the matter.
“The Prime Minister claims to belong to every caste and to be the Prime Minister of all of India. Yet, the chief of his party states that the purification was justified,” Gandhi said.
He said the alleged incident required intervention by both the Union and Uttarakhand governments and demanded that the persons involved be booked without delay.
“We want the Prime Minister to immediately order the registration of an FIR against these individuals under the SC/ST Act. It is the duty of both the State Government and the Central Government to ensure that Kharge ji receives justice in Uttarakhand,” he added.
BJP Rejects Congress Allegation
The issue came to light after reports that a “shuddhikaran”, or purification ceremony, had been held at Haldwani’s Ramlila Maidan shortly after Kharge’s public meeting.
Congress leaders said the ritual was directed at Kharge because he is a Dalit and condemned it as an example of caste discrimination. The party maintained that the organisers had sought to associate the venue with a religious purification after his appearance there.
The BJP denied having any role in the event. It said the ceremony was a customary religious practice and insisted that it had no connection with Kharge’s rally or his presence at the ground.
Kharge Seeks Explanation In House
Kharge, who serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, had raised the controversy in Parliament. He questioned why a purification ceremony was considered necessary after he addressed the Congress gathering.
Union minister JP Nadda termed the reported incident “unfortunate” and said the BJP did not support such an act. He also assured members of the House that the matter would be investigated.
The Congress has maintained its demand for a formal probe and legal action. On August 24, a party delegation met Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (retd) and requested a fair investigation, while alleging that no concrete steps had been taken despite Nadda’s assurance in Parliament.