KALABURAGI: Congress workers on Tuesday staged a protest against the FIR registered against Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, after he claimed a "purification" ritual was allegedly conducted after AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a rally in Uttarakhand's Haldwani.
"Today, the Kalaburagi District Congress organised a massive protest. Some time ago...a 'purification' ritual was performed after our senior leader, AICC President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge delivered a speech at a rally in Haldwani, Uttarakhand," Congress leader Kiran Deshmukh, while speaking to ANI, said.
The protest came after Haldwani City Kotwali Police registered an FIR against Gandhi following a complaint over his remarks regarding the "shuddhikaran yajna" conducted at the venue where Kharge had addressed a Congress rally on August 8.
Deshmukh questioned the registration of an FIR against Rahul Gandhi after the latter had demanded action against those responsible for the alleged ritual. He said Gandhi had raised the issue to highlight what he described as alleged injustice and untouchability faced by Dalits. "Rahul Gandhi raised the issue to highlight that if such things happen to a senior leader, then what must be the plight of an ordinary citizen or a common Dalit in a village?" he said.
The Congress leader alleged that instead of taking action against those who performed the ritual, an FIR was registered against Gandhi. He warned, "...I want to state that if the FIR is not withdrawn and action is not taken against the perpetrators in the coming days, we will launch a massive nationwide protest."
The FIR was registered on August 30, filed by 26-year-old Amit Kumar, a resident of Jawahar Nagar Colony, Haldwani, and a member of the Valmiki community. Kumar is also an office-bearer of the Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas organisation. He alleged that Gandhi's remarks hurt the sentiments of the Scheduled Caste community.
Police have invoked provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, including Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(u), along with Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Section 199 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, pertaining to jurisdiction, has also been cited in the FIR.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had demanded immediate registration of an FIR under the SC/ST Act against those who allegedly carried out the purification ritual in Uttarakhand following Kharge's visit. He had alleged that the purification ritual was "another name for untouchability" and demanded action against those involved under the SC/ST Act.
(With inputs from ANI)