FIR against Rahul Gandhi for calling Haldwani ‘purification’ ritual ‘untouchability’

A first information report (FIR) was registered on Sunday against leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi at Haldwani Kotwali police station in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district over his alleged remarks on a “purification ritual” conducted at the local Ramlila Ground.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. (YouTube)Superintendent of Police (City) Haldwani Manoj Kumar Katyal confirmed the development, saying, “Based on the complaint submitted by Amit Kumar, a Jawahar Nagar Colony resident, an FIR has been registered against Rahul Gandhi under relevant sections, and a thorough investigation into the matter is currently underway.” Kumar (26) identified himself as a member of the Scheduled Caste (Valmiki) community and an office-bearer of the local trust, Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas.

The case has been registered under sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and Sections 196 (promoting enmity between classes) and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The complainant has alleged that during a press conference in New Delhi on August 29, Gandhi wrongly described the cleaning and havan ritual as an act of “untouchability” and an atrocity against the Scheduled Caste community without verifying the facts.