Congress Stages Nationwide Protests Following FIR Against Rahul Gandhi

District Congress Committee President Audil Farooq Mir led the Srinagar demonstration, framing the legal action as a political vendetta orchestrated by the BJP and RSS. Mir argued that authorities are targeting the opposition leader instead of addressing the individuals responsible for the initial incident, which he characterized as an effort to fracture the nation along caste and communal lines. He insisted that Gandhi would remain undeterred by the state's legal maneuvers.

The FIR, filed by Amit Kumar of the Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas, invokes the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Kumar alleges that Gandhi’s remarks regarding the Haldwani ceremony wounded the sentiments of the Valmiki community. Police have formally registered the complaint, citing sections related to the promotion of enmity between religious and social groups.

Responding to the escalation, the Congress party has announced a series of state-level protest marches across the country. MP Syed Naseer Hussain stated that the party intends to challenge what he described as an anti-Dalit and anti-constitutional agenda. Congress leadership maintains that the use of state machinery to silence those speaking out against caste discrimination is a direct threat to democratic norms, promising continued resistance against the government’s current trajectory.