New Delhi
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday demanded the immediate registration of an FIR under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act over a ‘purification’ ritual allegedly conducted by BJP-RSS workers after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a rally in Haldwani, Uttarakhand.
Rahul said the ritual amounted to an offence under the SC/ST Act and alleged that no action had been taken despite the incident. “This act violates the SC/ST Act. Performing a ‘purification’ ritual is a crime. Yet, no action has been taken. Therefore, we demand that an FIR be registered immediately against those who carried out this purification ritual in Uttarakhand,” he said.
Kharge addressed the rally at Ramlila Ground in Haldwani on August 8, while the alleged shuddhikaran was carried out on August 10 by BJP-RSS workers, Rahul said. “20 days have passed but no case has been filed under the SC/ST act. No action has been taken,” he said.
He also played a video of Uttarakhand BJP chief Mahendra Bhatt defending the ritual. Rahul urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct the registration of a case, arguing that the incident raised questions about the treatment of Dalits.
“The Prime Minister claims to belong to every caste and to be the Prime Minister of all of India. Yet, the chief of his party states that the purification was justified. We want the Prime Minister to immediately order the registration of an FIR against these individuals under the SC/ST Act. It is the duty of both the State Government and the Central Government to ensure that Kharge ji receives justice in Uttarakhand,” Rahul said.
He also referred to an alleged similar incident in Rajasthan involving a Congress leader visiting a temple. “Our CLP leader in Rajasthan visits a temple, and BJP leaders perform a ‘purification’ ritual. Congress President Kharge, who has dedicated his entire life to the country and the Constitution, goes to the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani to deliver a speech, and a purification ritual is performed there. Who does this? It is the people from the BJP and RSS. Only BJP and RSS members do this, and it is a crime. Under India’s Constitution, this is a crime, a criminal activity. ‘Purification’ is actually just another name for untouchability. Untouchability was outlawed, yet BJP members practice it openly. When they perform this purification, they are effectively saying that Dalits should not be touched, that Dalits are unclean, and this constitutes a crime under the Indian Constitution.”
Calling the controversy a battle between “two ideologies” — the Constitution and the RSS-BJP’s views — Rahul said Kharge must get justice and pressed the government to act under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The law, enacted in 1995, seeks to prevent atrocities and violence against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and has subsequently been strengthened through amendments providing for stricter provisions and punishment.
“He is our president and he must get justice today or tomorrow. Kharge ji not getting justice is not going to be a possibility. An FIR has to be filed,” Rahul said.
