Congress Protests Across States Over FIR Against Rahul Gandhi

Congress workers in several parts of the country staged demonstrations on Tuesday demanding the withdrawal of the FIR against Rahul Gandhi in Uttarakhand, escalating the political confrontation over an alleged purification ritual at a public meeting venue in Haldwani.

In Chandigarh, Haryana Congress leaders led by former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda protested against the case. Party workers raised slogans and displayed placards seeking its withdrawal. Similar demonstrations were held in Jind and Ambala, with Congress workers criticising the action against Gandhi.

Protests were also reported from Goa, Karnataka, West Bengal and Bihar, following directions to Congress state and district units to mobilise against the FIR. In Pune, Congress workers demonstrated at Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmibai Statue Chowk, demanding that the case against the Congress leader be scrapped.

In Dehradun, Uttarakhand Congress workers marched towards the state police headquarters and submitted a memorandum seeking action against those allegedly responsible for the purification ceremony while opposing the FIR registered against Gandhi.

The case was filed in Haldwani after a complaint from a member of the Valmiki community, who accused Gandhi of giving a caste-based interpretation to the religious ritual. The FIR includes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) dealing with promoting enmity between groups and acts intended to offend religious sentiments. The SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has also been invoked.

The dispute stems from an alleged ‘shuddhikaran yajna’ held at Haldwani’s Ramlila Ground on August 11, three days after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a party gathering at the venue. Gandhi subsequently criticised the ceremony, describing it as a manifestation of untouchability, and sought an FIR against those involved under the SC/ST Act.

The Congress has accused the BJP of promoting an anti-Dalit mindset. The BJP has rejected the allegation, maintaining that the ritual followed claims that the venue was left littered after the Congress rally and that objectionable slogans were raised there. The dispute has now widened into a nationwide political confrontation, with Congress units continuing to press for the FIR’s withdrawal.