Zero FIR Filed Over Alleged Casteist ‘Shuddhikaran’ at Kharge Rally Venue

A Zero FIR has been registered against members of the Uttarakhand BJP and others over an alleged “purification” ritual conducted at the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani, where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had addressed a rally, police said.

The case followed a complaint filed by T R Ramappa, former vice-chairman of the ST Department of the Indian National Congress, at Vidhana Soudha Police Station on August 31. A Zero FIR can be registered at any police station irrespective of jurisdiction before being transferred to the concerned police station.

According to the complaint, Kharge addressed a public rally at the venue on August 8. It alleged that certain BJP members and functionaries subsequently organised a “Shuddhikaran” ritual at the same site on August 11. The complainant alleged that the ritual conveyed a casteist message that Kharge’s presence, as a Scheduled Caste leader, had rendered the venue “impure”.

The complaint also named Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt, alleging that he publicly defended and justified the ritual. Police said a legal opinion was sought before the case was registered under relevant provisions of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and Section 196(1)(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita concerning acts promoting enmity between groups and prejudicial to social harmony.

The controversy has since escalated into a political confrontation. AICC general secretary K C Venugopal on Saturday accused the BJP and Sangh Parivar of practising “despicable politics” and questioned why such an act was carried out against Kharge, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. Venugopal also criticised the alleged justification of the ritual and questioned the FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had raised the issue publicly.

At a press conference in New Delhi on August 29, Gandhi criticised the alleged ritual and demanded an FIR under the SC/ST Act against those responsible. Subsequently, an FIR was registered against Gandhi following a complaint by a Valmiki community member in Haldwani, who alleged that the Congress leader had given a casteist interpretation to a religious ritual. The allegations in the cases are subject to investigation and have not been established in court.