Congress leaders and party workers during a protest demonstration in Mysuru on Saturday.

| Photo Credit: M. A. Sriram

Congress leaders and party workers staged a protest near the party office here on Saturday condemning the ‘’shuddhikaran havan’’ (purification ritual) reportedly conducted at a venue in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, two days after AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a rally there. The incident has drawn widespread condemnation from the Congress.Mysuru district in-charge Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah, MLC K. Shivakumar and other senior Congress leaders and workers staged a dharna at the Babu Jagjivan Ram statue in front of the City Railway Station. The protesters strongly condemned the incident and said they would not tolerate any insult to the Congress president. They also raised slogans against the BJP, RSS and Sangh Parivar outfits.Speaking to reporters, Dr. Yathindra condemned the ‘’purification ritual'’ allegedly by the members of Shri Rama Sena, saying it reflected the “anti-Dalit mindset” of the BJP, RSS and their affiliated organisations. He said the incident demonstrated their belief in the caste system.Dr Yathindra alleged that the BJP and the Sangh Parivar had been targeting Dalit leaders. He claimed that one of the reasons for conducting the ritual was the criticism of the RSS by State Home Minister Priyank Kharge.“Insulting the president of a national party and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, who has been in public life for five decades, through such regressive practices is a reflection of a deplorable mindset,” said MLC K. Shivakumar.In a separate statement, he said millions of tribals and Dalits across the country had been mentally traumatised by such discriminatory incidents, reminiscent of the practice of untouchability, which brought shame to human society.“This act undermines the spirit of the Constitution and reflects the fact that equality remains a distant dream even today. The Centre must take the incident seriously, immediately arrest those responsible and initiate stringent action against them,” he demanded.“Millions of people who uphold the Constitution and believe in equality stand with Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge,” he said. Published - August 15, 2026 09:41 pm IST