Uttarakhand Police have registered an FIR against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on a ‘shuddhikaran yajna’ held after a Congress rally in Haldwani. The case was registered at Haldwani City Kotwali Police Station on the complaint of 26-year-old Amit Kumar, a resident of Jawahar Nagar Colony and a member of the Valmiki community, which is a Scheduled Caste. Kumar is also an office-bearer of the Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas.
The FIR, numbered 0297/2026, was registered on August 30 at 10:16 pm in Nainital district. Police have invoked Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(u) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, along with Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, concerning the promotion of enmity between groups on grounds including religion, race, place of birth, residence and language. Section 199 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, relating to jurisdiction, has also been cited. The probe has been handed to DSP Amit Kumar.
Rahul Gandhi remarks spark caste row over Haldwani ritual
The complaint centres on Rahul Gandhi’s reported remarks at a national press conference in New Delhi on August 29. Rahul Gandhi reportedly described the purification ritual as an act of “untouchability” and anti-Dalit discrimination and demanded legal action against those who took part in it.
The ritual followed a Congress rally held at Ramlila Ground in Haldwani on August 8, which was attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and other party leaders. After the event, local organisation members, including Amit Kumar, inspected the ground on August 11 and found litter and liquor bottles. They then carried out a cleanliness drive and performed a traditional havan shuddhikaran to restore the sanctity of the cultural site.
Rahul Gandhi complaint says SC members took part in cleaning
Kumar’s complaint says members of the Scheduled Caste community themselves participated in cleaning the ground and conducting the ritual. He alleged that Rahul Gandhi, without verifying the circumstances, portrayed the event as discriminatory and linked it to untouchability, thereby mischaracterising SC participants as people involved in caste discrimination.
The complainant further alleged that the remarks hurt the sentiments of the Scheduled Caste community and promoted enmity, hatred and ill-will between social groups. He claimed the statements also seriously affected the personal reputation, peace and security of those involved in the Haldwani event.
Rahul Gandhi faces reaction from organisers of purification event
The organisers have rejected the allegation that the ritual had any caste-based motive. They maintained that it was carried out only to clean the public ground and restore its sanctity after the Congress rally.
Vinod Arya, Member, Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas, told ANI, “People are saying that we have performed a purification ritual for a specific person, which is not true… That is Lord Ram’s court, and we only carried out cleaning… What angle Rahul Gandhi is giving to this, only he can explain… We have submitted a written complaint stating our point of view regarding the allegations they are making. We have not hurt anyone’s sentiments… We have not used any casteist slur… If they are saying so, then it is wrong.” (ANI)
Rahul Gandhi case now under police investigation in Nainital
The FIR follows the complaint by Amit Kumar, who said the remarks had wrongly portrayed the participants and caused resentment among the SC community. With Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(u) of the SC/ST Act and the relevant BNS and BNSS provisions included, the matter is now under investigation by DSP Amit Kumar.
(with inputs from ANI)
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Khalid Lateef is a Sub-Editor at NewsX Digital, specializing in Indian politics and global affairs. He also covers viral trending stories and major crime developments.
