Rahul Gandhi FIRed over caste remarks tied to Haldwani rally purification

Following a purification havan at Ramlila Maidan after a Congress rally led by Mallikarjun Kharge in Haldwani, Rahul Gandhi described the clean-up work as akin to untouchability during a Delhi news conference. Amit Kumar, a Scheduled Caste resident of Jawahar Nagar Colony, filed a complaint alleging that Gandhi used caste-indicative and insulting language, leading Kotwali police to register an FIR under sections 196 and 299 of the Indian Penal Code and section 3(1)(q) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Nainital senior superintendent T C Manjunath said the complainant provided evidence and that ASP Amit Saini will head the investigation. The right-wing group Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas Sangathan performed the havan to counter Congress slogans and earlier remarks by Kharge comparing the BJP and RSS to a poisonous snake. Kharge raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha, seeking legal action against those who "purified" the stage. The controversy has triggered a series of protests by the opposition throughout Uttarakhand.