Rahul Gandhi demands FIR under SC/ST Act over Haldwani 'purification' ritual

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Saturday demanded the registration of an FIR under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act over the 'purification' ritual conducted at a public ground in Uttarakhand's Haldwani. The ritual was performed days after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a rally at the same venue.

Speaking at a press conference, Gandhi said the BJP-RSS practises untouchability, which is a constitutional crime. He also played a video of Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt defending the ritual, in which Bhatt claimed the place had been 'polluted with slogans'.

Kharge had addressed the 'Vijay Shankhnaad' rally at Haldwani's Ramlila ground on August 8. Two days later, members of the Shri Ram Sena reportedly performed the havan at the same site.

Gandhi asserted that Kharge 'will get justice in Uttarakhand, whether it is today or tomorrow'. He added that if such an act could be done against a senior leader like Kharge, one could imagine what could happen to a four-year-old in a school. He described the incident as reflecting the BJP-RSS mindset, which does not want Dalits to live with dignity.

During the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Union Minister J.P. Nadda had condemned the incident in the Rajya Sabha and said an investigation would be taken up. When asked about Kharge's remarks at the Congress Working Committee that not many supported him, Gandhi said Kharge had referred to certain people, and that he and many others had supported him. Gandhi declined to comment on the controversy over Sonia Gandhi's memoir, calling it a digression.