Gehlot decries Haldwani ritual as symptom of systemic Dalit oppression

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has condemned the ritualistic cleansing performed at a site recently visited by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, arguing that such an act against a prominent Dalit leader signals a broader, worsening climate of persecution against marginalized communities under the current government.

Editorial·September 5, 2026·reads: 1,510

Gehlot decries Haldwani ritual as symptom of systemic Dalit oppression

The incident in Haldwani, which followed a Congress rally on August 8, has prompted calls for accountability from state leadership. Gehlot expressed frustration over the lack of consequences following JP Nadda’s earlier assurance in the Rajya Sabha that the matter would be handled with gravity. With no official action taken, the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee has organized a protest march from Dehradun’s Parade Ground to the Chief Minister’s residence for September 7.

Beyond the Haldwani dispute, Gehlot criticized Penguin for stalling the publication of a memoir detailing Sonia Gandhi’s life. He alleged the publisher is buckling under government pressure, despite the parent company’s willingness to move forward. Gehlot remains confident that the book, which covers Gandhi’s transition from post-war Italy to her decades as Congress president and the personal tragedies surrounding the deaths of Indira and Rajiv Gandhi, will proceed to launch on November 10 regardless of the current publishing impasse.