Archive · 1 Sep 2026
Uttarakhand Purification Row Escalates Over Rahul Gandhi FIR
A disagreement began after Mallikarjun Kharge held a rally in Haldwani.
Some people later held a purification ritual and cleanliness event at the same ground.
Congress said the ritual insulted Kharge because he is Dalit.
Congress workers asked police to file cases against the people involved under a law protecting Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Instead, police filed a case against Rahul Gandhi after a complaint about his comments.
The complaint said Gandhi wrongly connected the event with untouchability and caste discrimination.
Congress workers then filed complaints across Uttarakhand and threatened bigger protests.
The BJP denied Congress’s accusations and held protests against Gandhi.
Reports differ on whether the ritual happened immediately after the rally or on August 11.
Congress workers filed complaints across Uttarakhand seeking SC/ST Act cases against those involved in the Haldwani ritual.
More than 200 Congress members marched to the Dehradun police headquarters and submitted a memorandum to the director-general of police.
Police filed an FIR against Rahul Gandhi on Sunday night after a complaint alleged he wrongly linked the event to caste discrimination and untouchability.
The ritual reportedly took place at Haldwani’s Ramlila Ground after Mallikarjun Kharge’s August 8 rally; one report dates it to August 11.
The BJP rejected Congress’s caste-discrimination allegations, while BJP workers protested and burned Rahul Gandhi’s effigies.
- Who
- The Indian National Congress, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, the Bharatiya Janata Party, Uttarakhand Police, and members of Sri Ram Sena Dharmaswa Sewa Nyas.
- What
- Congress is demanding withdrawal of the FIR against Rahul Gandhi and cases under the SC/ST Act against those involved in the Haldwani purification ritual.
- When
- Kharge’s rally was held on August 8; one report says the ritual occurred on August 11, while the FIR was filed Sunday night and protests took place Monday.
- Where
- The ritual and rally venue was Ramlila Ground in Haldwani; complaints and protests took place across Uttarakhand, including at police headquarters in Dehradun.
- Why
- Congress said the ritual insulted Kharge and reflected caste discrimination, while the complaint against Gandhi alleged that he made unverified claims about the organisers.
Congress Position
BJP and Ritual Organisers’ Position
Meaning of the ritual
Congress Position
Congress said the purification ritual insulted Mallikarjun Kharge, linked the event to his Dalit identity, and reflected an anti-Dalit mindset.
BJP and Ritual Organisers’ Position
People associated with the event denied that it was connected to caste and described it as a havan and cleanliness drive.
Police action
Congress Position
Congress demanded cases against those involved under the SC/ST Act and questioned why an FIR was filed against Rahul Gandhi instead.
BJP and Ritual Organisers’ Position
The complaint against Gandhi alleged that he wrongly described the organisers as anti-Scheduled Caste and practitioners of untouchability.
Political responsibility
Congress Position
Rahul Gandhi said those who conducted the ritual were BJP members and should be charged and arrested.
BJP and Ritual Organisers’ Position
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the organisers were not from the BJP, while the BJP rejected Congress’s allegations and staged protests against Gandhi.
Reason for the event
Congress Position
Congress treated the ritual as an insult connected to Kharge’s caste identity.
BJP and Ritual Organisers’ Position
The Sri Ram Sena Dharmaswa Sewa Nyas said it acted because of alleged anti-national or religiously provocative slogans at Kharge’s rally.
- Rally date
- August 8
- Reported ritual date
- August 11, according to one report
- Venue
- Ramlila Ground, Haldwani
- Congress action
- Complaints were filed at police stations and outposts across Uttarakhand
- Dehradun protest
- More than 200 Congress members marched to police headquarters
- FIR against
- Rahul Gandhi
- Requested law
- Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act
- Police official
- Uttarakhand Director-General of Police Deepam Seth
