An FIR was lodged against Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, on Sunday. This action comes under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the SC/ST Act.
Background
The FIR was filed a day after Gandhi held a press conference in New Delhi, where he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order an FIR regarding a "shuddhikaran havan" (purification ritual) that took place at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani. This ritual occurred shortly after a rally led by Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress president and a prominent Dalit leader. Gandhi described the ritual as a "crime," asserting that it exemplified the untouchability faced by Dalits across India and revealed the BJP-RSS mindset.
Gandhi reiterated the Congress party's demand for an FIR to be filed under the SC/ST Act against those responsible for the ceremony.
Details of the FIR
According to Manoj Kumar Katyal, the Superintendent of Police in Haldwani, the FIR against Gandhi was lodged based on a complaint from Amit Kumar, a resident of Jawahar Nagar Colony in Haldwani. Kumar, 26, claimed to be a member of the Valmiki community and stated that he, along with other Scheduled Caste members, participated in the cleanliness drive and religious ritual held at Ramlila Maidan on August 11.
