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FIR lodged against Rahul Gandhi in Haldwani on Sunday
The Indian Express··31 Aug
An FIR was lodged against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in Uttarakhand's Haldwani on Sunday under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the SC/ST Act. The FIR followed Gandhi's August 29 press conference demanding an FIR over a purification ritual held at Ramlila Maidan days after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a rally there on August 8.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Residents of Haldwani involved in the August 11 cleanliness drive at Ramlila Maidan may face heightened local tensions after the FIR filing.
- Political rallies at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani are now subject to competing legal complaints from both Congress leaders and local residents.
- Scheduled Caste community members named in the complaint say they have been portrayed as indulging in untouchability practices.
What's Happening
- Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Katyal said the FIR was lodged based on a complaint by Amit Kumar, a 26-year-old resident of Jawahar Nagar Colony.
- Complainant Amit Kumar said he belongs to the Valmiki community and participated in the August 11 cleanliness drive and religious ritual.
- Gandhi called the purification ceremony a crime illustrating untouchability Dalits face and demanded an FIR under the SC/ST Act.
Haldwani Purification Ritual Complaint
- Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a rally in Haldwani on August 8 before the August 11 ritual at Ramlila Maidan.
- Kumar claimed the ritual had no connection with any individual or caste despite Gandhi's statements at the August 29 press conference.
- The FIR was lodged a day after Gandhi urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order an FIR over the purification ceremony.
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