Rahul Gandhi booked over Haldwani ‘purification’ remarks after complaint from Valmiki community member

An FIR has been registered against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi following a complaint alleging that his remarks about a religious ritual held at the venue of a Congress programme in Haldwani gave the incident a casteist interpretation police said on SundayThe complaint was filed by Amit Kumar a member of the Valmiki community and a resident of Jawahar Nagar Kumar alleged that Gandhis comments about the ritual made during a press conference in New Delhi on August 29 hurt the sentiments of members of the communityPolice said the FIR has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita BNS related to promoting 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 invokedComplaint alleges casteist interpretation of religious ritualAccording to the complaint filed at Haldwani police station Kumar said he was present during the ritual and cleanliness drive conducted at the venue and was also aware of Gandhis remarks made at the August 29 press conferenceKumar who is also associated with the Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas alleged that Gandhi portrayed those involved in the ritual as practising untouchability and holding an antiDalit mindsetThe complainant said Gandhis remarks had caused offence and hurt the sentiments of people associated with the eventKumar further stated that he belongs to the Scheduled Caste community and claimed that people from different sections of society including members of Scheduled Castes participated in the ritualAccording to the complaint the activity had no connection with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharges castePolitical controversy began after alleged ritual at rally venueThe controversy began after some individuals allegedly performed a purification yajna at Haldwanis Ramlila Ground on August 11The ritual was reportedly held after a public meeting addressed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at the venue on August 8The incident subsequently triggered a political confrontation between the Congress and the BJP with both parties offering sharply different accounts of the events surrounding the ritualThe Congress alleged that the incident reflected an antiDalit mindset within the BJP and questioned the reasons behind the alleged purification of the venue following Kharges programmeBJP says cleanliness concerns prompted actionThe BJP defended the activity maintaining that the venue was left littered after Kharges rallyThe party also alleged that slogans considered inappropriate for a religious site had been raised during the Congress event and maintained that the subsequent activity was linked to those concerns rather than Kharges casteThe competing claims have added to the political dispute surrounding the incident with the alleged ritual becoming the focus of accusations and counteraccusations between the two partiesThere was no indication in the information provided by police on Sunday regarding any findings into the circumstances that led to the ritual or the identities of all those who participated in itRahul Gandhi had sought action against those involvedAt a press conference in New Delhi on August 29 Rahul Gandhi criticised the alleged purification ritual and demanded that an FIR be registered under the SCST Act against those responsibleGandhi linked the incident to broader concerns about caste discrimination and alleged that the ritual reflected discriminatory attitudes towards DalitsCongress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra later supported the demand for action against those involvedShe described the incident as a reflection of a reprehensible and shameful mindset and alleged that it amounted to a violation of provisions under the SCST ActWith inputs from PTI