Bihar Congress attacks BJP over FIR against Rahul Gandhi

Bihar Congress President Rajesh Ram demanded a public apology from the BJP, characterizing the ritual at the Haldwani Ramlila Maidan as a direct insult to the Dalit community. According to Ram, the act of sprinkling gangajal on the stage after Kharge’s address signaled that the ground was deemed 'impure' solely due to the speaker's caste. He dismissed the subsequent FIR against Rahul Gandhi as a tactical move to silence criticism of systemic caste-based discrimination.

The legal action, registered on August 30 at the Haldwani City Kotwali police station, follows a complaint by Amit Kumar, a member of the Valmiki community. The FIR invokes provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, alleging that Gandhi’s commentary on the 'shuddhikaran yajna' hurt the sentiments of the Scheduled Caste community. The original controversy surfaced after members of the Shri Ram Sena performed the ritual two days after Kharge’s August 8 address, sparking nationwide condemnation from Congress leaders who labeled the event a clear violation of constitutional protections against untouchability.