CM Satheesan Condemns FIR Against Rahul Gandhi Over Haldwani 'Purification' Row
The FIR was registered following a complaint by a member of the Valmiki community in Haldwani, who alleged that Gandhi gave a casteist spin to a religious ritual held at the Ramlila Ground, police said
Thiruvananthapuram: Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Monday strongly condemned the FIR registered against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Uttarakhand over his remarks on a 'purification' ritual allegedly held at a venue after party president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a rally there. "The FIR against Shri Rahul Gandhi ji in Uttarakhand is deeply disturbing," Satheesan said in a post on X.
The FIR was registered following a complaint by a member of the Valmiki community in Haldwani, who alleged that Gandhi gave a casteist spin to a religious ritual held at the Ramlila Ground, police said.
The FIR invokes various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to the promotion of enmity between groups and deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings. Provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, have also been invoked, police said.
The row erupted after some people allegedly performed a 'purification yajna' at the Haldwani Ramlila Ground on August 11, three days after Kharge addressed a public meeting there on August 8.
"The issue he raised was serious: a so-called 'purification' ritual was performed at Haldwani's Ramlila Ground after Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji addressed a rally there, an act that naturally raised grave questions about dignity, equality and caste discrimination," Satheesan said.
Gandhi had raised the issue at a press conference in New Delhi on August 29 and demanded that an FIR be registered under the SC/ST Act against those responsible for the alleged 'purification' ritual.
The Congress had described the incident as a reflection of the BJP's "anti-Dalit mindset", while the BJP defended the ritual, claiming that the venue had been left littered after Kharge's rally and that slogans inappropriate for a religious site had been raised there.
In his complaint, Amit Kumar, a resident of Haldwani and a member of the Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas, claimed that he was present during the "ritual and cleanliness drive". He alleged that Gandhi's remarks hurt the sentiments of the Valmiki community.
Kumar, who claimed to be a member of the Scheduled Caste community, alleged that Gandhi had portrayed those involved in the ritual as practising "untouchability" and being "anti-Dalit".
He claimed that people from different sections of society, including members of Scheduled Castes, had participated in the ritual and that it had "no connection" with Kharge's caste.
Satheesan said the FIR amounted to an attempt to silence Gandhi for raising the issue.
"Instead of addressing these concerns, an FIR has been registered against Rahul ji for speaking out and demanding action," he said.
"Keralam strongly condemns such attempts to criminalise dissent. Political disagreement must be answered politically, not through intimidation and misuse of the law," Satheesan said.
"We stand firmly with Rahul ji and Kharge ji," he added.
