India
oi-Gaurav Sharma
Haldwani police have registered an FIR against unknown persons in connection with an alleged “purification” of the venue after Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s address there.
The case was filed at Haldwani Kotwali on Monday on a complaint by Anju, a lawyer and social activist. Police said they had received nearly 80 complaints and petitions from various parts of Uttarakhand about the alleged incident, including 19 from Nainital district.
Haldwani police registered an FIR against unknown individuals concerning a purification ceremony held after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s address, citing complaints of alleged caste discrimination and religious offense in accordance with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and SC/ST Act.
Nainital SSP Manjunath TC said police examined the complaints before registering the case on the basis of Anju’s written complaint. She had also submitted videos related to the alleged purification ceremony.
The FIR does not name any accused person and cites the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the SC/ST Act. The charges relate to allegations of promoting enmity between groups, deliberately offending religious sentiments and insulting or humiliating a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe.
The dispute originated on August 10 when a cleaning drive and “Shuddhi Yagya” was organised at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani, two days after Kharge had addressed a Congress rally at the venue.
The organisation behind the ceremony, Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas, has stated that the programme was to clean the ground and restore its religious and cultural sanctity and denied having any political affiliation.
However, the Congress has strongly objected to the ceremony, arguing that it was conducted specifically after Kharge, a Scheduled Caste leader, had addressed the gathering. The party has term the episode an act of caste discrimination and untouchability.
Kharg himself raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha, stating that the incident had humiliated him and he felt that untouchability was being practiced against him. He has since written to BJP president J P Nadda requesting action.
The BJP has distanced itself from the group which has organised the event.
The controversy has now reached Delhi where a group of Dalit Congress MPs have approached the Parliament Street police station seeking an FIR. Congress leader K Raju has claimed that around 20 MPs from both Houses went to the police station but alleged that their request for a zero FIR was not accepted.
Congress MP Sasikanth Senthil accused those responsible for the Haldwani ceremony of practising untouchability and questioned why the police case had taken nearly a month.
The Uttarakhand Police have now initiated a formal investigation. SSP Manjunath said the probe would look at the allegations as well as the videos and other material submitted to police.
The investigation has been handed over to senior officer Jagdish Chandra, police describing the matter as sensitive. Authorities have also requested that people who have submitted complaints elsewhere in Uttarakhand allow the investigation to go ahead.
