Pune Congress Protests FIR Against Rahul Gandhi Over Haldwani Row, Seeks Withdrawal

Pune: The Pune City Congress Committee on Tuesday morning, staged a protest at the Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmibai Statue Chowk on Jangli Maharaj (J M) Road in Shivajinagar, condemning the FIR registered against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on the alleged “purification” ritual at a rally venue in Haldwani, Uttarakhand.

Led by Pune Congress Committee vice-president Chandu Sheth Kadam, Congress workers raised slogans of “Constitution Zindabad” and criticised the action against Gandhi. Protesters carried placards accusing the BJP of using “casteist politics” and demanded that the FIR against the Congress leader be withdrawn.

Kadam said the party would take up the demand with the district administration. “We strongly condemn the FIR registered against Rahul Gandhi for raising his voice against untouchability. We demand that this FIR be withdrawn. For this demand, we will submit a letter to the Collector and urge the administration to take up the issue with the concerned authorities,” Kadam said.

What happened in Haldwani that led to FIR against Rahul Gandhi?

The protest comes amid a political controversy that began after a Congress rally addressed by party president Mallikarjun Kharge at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani on August 8. According to reports, a “shuddhikaran” or purification ritual, including a havan and cleaning of the venue, was conducted at the ground on August 11, two days after Kharge’s rally.

Congress leaders interpreted the act as an insult to Kharge, who is a Dalit, and alleged that the incident reflected an “untouchability” mindset.

On August 29, Gandhi criticised the alleged purification ritual at a press conference in New Delhi and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi order an FIR against those responsible under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Gandhi described the incident as an example of untouchability and linked it to the treatment of Dalits in the country.

However, the controversy took another turn when an FIR was registered against Gandhi at Haldwani Kotwali police station following a complaint by Amit Kumar, a member of the Valmiki community and office-bearer of a local trust. The complainant alleged that Gandhi had wrongly given a caste angle to the cleaning and havan ceremony and described it as an act of untouchability without verifying the facts.

The case was registered under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, along with Sections 196 and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), according to reports. Police have said an investigation is underway.