The controversy centers on a 'shuddhikaran' ritual performed by a right-wing group at a Haldwani venue shortly after Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a Congress rally there on August 8. While Kharge has denounced the act as a targeted affront to his Dalit identity, Rahul Gandhi previously characterized the ritual as a form of untouchability, demanding that those responsible face charges under the SC/ST Act.
Legal pressure is mounting, though not in the direction Congress leaders anticipated. On August 30, Haldwani police registered an FIR against Rahul Gandhi following a complaint from a member of the Valmiki community, who alleged that Gandhi’s comments regarding the ritual insulted the Scheduled Caste community. Police have invoked the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Khera highlighted this discrepancy by referencing a past protest where Rahul Gandhi sat for eight hours outside a police station to secure an FIR against Sahil Lochab. He argued that the current administration’s refusal to address the original ritual suggests a selective application of justice. Conversely, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi has dismissed the allegations of caste discrimination, accusing the opposition of attempting to fracture Hindu society for political gain ahead of the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly elections.
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