Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday demanded the registration of a first information report against those who carried out a “purification” ritual at a ground in Uttarakhand, where Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had held a rally earlier this month.Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Gandhi said that 20 days had passed since the incident, but no action had been taken. He demanded that the FIR be registered under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act.Kharge had raised the matter in the Rajya Sabha on August 13, and demanded that those who performed the ritual at Ramlila Ground in Haldwani be arrested. Union minister JP Nadda had said that the Bharatiya Janata Party “does not subscribe to such activities” and that the party would investigate the matter.देश के हर दलित व्यक्ति का जन्म से मृत्यु तक, हर जगह, हर कदम अपमान किया जाता है।उनकी जितनी बुलंद आवाज़ होती है, उनपर उतना तेज़ हमला होता है।कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष मल्लिकार्जुन खरगे जी के साथ हल्द्वानी में जो भी हुआ वो "शुद्धिकरण" का नाम दे कर उनके खिलाफ़ छुआछूत है - और छुआछूत भारत… pic.twitter.com/MJpDFRm9Zj— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 29, 2026
On Saturday, Gandhi said that the incident in Haldwani was “an act of untouchability” against Kharge, disguised as “purification”. Untouchability is a punishable offence under the Constitution, he said. “It is a crime,” he added.Gandhi also played a video of Uttarakhand BJP chief Mahendra Bhatt justifying the act, saying the venue had been polluted by slogans. Bhatt had claimed that the purification was not done against any person belonging to a Scheduled Caste.The leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha further said that the incident showed the mindset of the BJP and its parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He accused them of practising untouchability despite it being prohibited by the Constitution.“The fight is between the Indian Constitution and the ideologies of the BJP and the RSS,” he said.Gandhi said that it was the responsibility of the Centre and the state governments to ensure justice for Kharge, asserting that the Congress chief “will get justice in Uttarakhand, whether it is today or tomorrow”.The purification ritual was performed by a group named Shri Ram Sena. The Congress’ Uttarakhand unit alleged that the group is associated with the BJP.However, the Hindutva party has denied links to the group and claimed that slogans shouted at Kharge’s rally had offended those who believed in Sanatana Dharma.Sanatana Dharma is a term some people use as a synonym for Hinduism.Written by Anamika Pathak. Edited by Nachiket Deuskar.
