DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand’s political temperature soared on Monday as Congress leaders and workers marching towards Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s residence clashed with police at Hathibarkala amid heavy rain. The protest followed a controversy over the alleged “purification” of the stage used by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge during his visit to Haldwani.
The demonstrators first assembled at Parade Ground, where senior party leaders addressed supporters who had arrived from several districts. They later began their march towards the chief minister’s residence, but police barricades stopped them at Hathibarkala. A prolonged standoff followed, disrupting traffic in parts of the city.
Congress said the episode in Haldwani amounted to an insult to Kharge and violated democratic conventions governing respect for the Opposition. State Congress president Ganesh Godiyal said the agitation would continue until those responsible were punished.
“Mallikarjun Kharge is a symbol of Dalit consciousness. Those behind his humiliation must face action,” Godiyal said. “Action should also be taken against BJP state president Mahendra Bhatt, and the FIR lodged against Rahul Gandhi as part of a conspiracy must be withdrawn.”
Congress’s Uttarakhand in-charge Kumari Selja accused the BJP of attempting to divide people along religious and caste lines. “The BJP wants to damage Uttarakhand’s tradition of harmony,” she said. “People will not tolerate what was done to Kharge or the FIR against Rahul Gandhi. This is an insult to Uttarakhand and its brotherhood.”
She also described the Dhami government as “failed and corrupt”, saying Congress workers would not rest until it was voted out.
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Bhuvan Kapri said the Constitution guaranteed equality and urged the government to act on its own. “Instead of proceeding against those responsible, the chief minister and the BJP state president are supporting them,” he alleged.
Anticipating the march, the police and district administration deployed personnel and erected barricades along key routes leading to the chief minister’s residence. Despite the arrangements, the protest affected vehicular movement across several areas of Dehradun.
The BJP, meanwhile, organised counter-protests in several districts, accusing Congress of misrepresenting the Haldwani episode and disturbing social harmony.
In Champawat, BJP Scheduled Caste Morcha members staged a sit-in at Motor Station Market under a “social harmony pledge” campaign, braving intense rain. Party leaders claimed the dispute had ended after a cleaning drive but was later politicised by Congress to implicate the BJP.
A similar demonstration was held at Ambedkar Park in New Tehri, where BJP leaders accused Congress of spreading misinformation about the alleged purification at Haldwani’s Ramlila Ground and attempting to undermine communal and social amity.
The demonstrations sharpened the battle between the two parties, with Congress framing the issue as one of dignity and constitutional equality, while the BJP portrayed the agitation as an attempt to exploit a dispute for partisan gain and fuel divisions across Uttarakhand.
