Congress demands FIR against those responsible in Haldwani ‘purification’ row; BJP denies all links

New Delhi : Amid massive political storm over the Haldwani ‘purification’ row, former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday registered his outrage, describing the “purification” ritual carried out at Ramlila Maidan on August 10 as a blatant act of casteism and an explicit manifestation of “untouchability”.
After Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi tore into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during a press conference in New Delhi today, Siddaramaiah characterised the practice as “another name for untouchability”. He said that the act is a direct assault on equality and human dignity.
The senior Congress leader strongly demanded the strictest possible action against those responsible and called for the immediate registration of a First Information Report (FIR) under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
“The ‘purification’ ritual carried out by a right-wing group at Haldwani’s Ramlila Maidan on August 10, after Congress President Mallikarjun @kharge addressed a rally there, is a blatant act of casteism and another form of untouchability. This is the poisonous mindset nurtured by the BJP-RSS Sangh Parivar ecosystem. Untouchability is outlawed by our Constitution, and such an act is an assault on equality and human dignity,” Siddaramaiah posted on X.
“I strongly demand the strictest action against those responsible and immediate registration of an FIR under the SC/ST Act. @RahulGandhi is right in demanding justice for our Congress President,” he added.
He also expressed deep dismay that Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt went on to defend the so-called “purification” ritual at Haldwani’s Ramlila Maidan.
Challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Siddaramaiah asked how the BJP can speak of social justice while remaining silent as their own leaders defend acts of “untouchability”. He demanded that PM Modi clarify to the nation whether he condemns the act or stands with those who justify it.
“Prime Minister @narendramodi and the BJP cannot speak of social justice while remaining silent when such acts are committed, and their own leaders defend them. Modi must tell the country clearly: does he condemn this act of untouchability, or does the BJP stand with those who justify it?” he questioned.
The remarks came after Rahul Gandhi demanded an immediate registration of an FIR under the SC/ST Act against those who allegedly carried out a ‘shuddhikaran’ (purification) ritual in Uttarakhand following Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s visit.
“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,” Gandhi said.
Demanding that the Prime Minister must direct the immediate registration of an FIR, he added, “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.”
“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,” he said.
Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera strongly echoed the party’s stance, stating on X that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge was subjected to outright “untouchability” during his Uttarakhand visit.
Demanding an FIR, he said in an X post, “What Shri Mallikarjun @kharge was subjected to was untouchability. Untouchability is a crime under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, enacted under the Constitution of India. Our demand is straightforward: an FIR must be lodged against everyone who practised and supported this crime.”
Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh asserted that the Prime Minister should have ensured an FIR was filed and the culprits punished.
“The Rajya Sabha had been adjourned over this question. Mallikarjun Kharge himself had raised this question. The Prime Minister should have filed an FIR against whoever did this and had them punished,” he said.
Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das echoed a similar sentiment, stating, “The act itself comes under the purview of the Atrocity Act. It is a violation of law and disrespect of the Indian community. In a sovereign nation like India, this should not happen.”
However, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, during a press conference in the national capital, claimed there was “no caste angle” in the video related to the Uttarakhand ‘shuddhikaran’ (purification) controversy.
He accused the Congress of repeatedly raising caste and other similar issues to create divisions in Hindu society.
“It is quite clear from these two videos that there was no angle of caste in it. But I said they have lost their creativity. So every time on their worn-out line, they keep busy finding new ways to create conflict in India,” Trivedi said.
Targeting Congress, he said, “Their only agenda is to make Hindus fight among themselves and to push forward the agenda of Macaulay, Marx, and Maulana from behind.”
Earlier, Union Minister Chirag Paswan asked how the Congress, which held power for a prolonged period after independence, could claim discrimination persists without acknowledging their own failure to strengthen foundational social structures.