The Vidhana Soudha Police in Bengaluru have registered an FIR over an alleged “purification ritual” conducted at the venue in Uttarakhand where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a public rally last month.
The FIR was registered on September 4 following a complaint by T.R. Ramappa, former Vice-Chairman of the Congress’s ST Department, at the Vidhana Soudha Police Station.
The case has been registered under Sections 7(1)(d), 7(1)(e) and 7(1)(c) of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955; Section 3(1)(u) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989; and Section 196(1)(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
‘Purification’ Allegedly Conducted At Haldwani Rally Venue
According to the FIR, Kharge attended and addressed a public rally
at Ramlila Ground in Haldwani, Nainital, Uttarakhand, on August 8, 2026.
The complaint alleges that on August 10, certain BJP members and functionaries conducted a “purification ritual” or shuddhikaran at the same venue.
According to the complainant, the ritual was intended to convey that Kharge’s presence had rendered the venue “impure” because he belongs to a Scheduled Caste community.
The FIR lists the accused as “Uttarakhand State BJP members and others”.
Complaint Alleges Caste-Based Message
The complaint further alleges that the Uttarakhand BJP president publicly defended and justified the alleged purification ritual.
According to the complainant, the remarks reinforced the alleged caste-based message associated with the ritual.
The case was registered after legal opinion was obtained on September 4, according to the FIR.
Kharge Had Sought FIR Over Incident
The FIR follows a controversy over the alleged shuddhikaran at the Haldwani rally venue.
Kharge had raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha on August 14 and later wrote to House Leader J.P. Nadda, reminding him of his assurance that the incident would be investigated and appropriate action taken.
In his letter, Kharge described the alleged purification at the Ramlila Maidan, where he had addressed the rally, as being against the spirit of the Indian Constitution and human values.
Kharge also referred to B.R. Ambedkar’s 1927 Mahad Satyagraha, drawing a parallel between the alleged incident and the caste discrimination faced during that period.
Kharge Calls For Action Against Those Involved
In his letter to Nadda, Kharge said the issue went beyond him personally and concerned the experiences of millions of people facing caste discrimination.
He called for action against those involved and urged Nadda to direct the Uttarakhand Chief Minister to ensure that an FIR was registered against the persons and organisations allegedly involved in the incident.
The Congress had also protested the alleged incident in several cities and submitted complaints to authorities in Uttarakhand.
Rahul Gandhi Had Also Demanded FIR
The controversy had earlier drawn a response from Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, who vowed to seek justice for Kharge and demanded that an FIR be registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The issue has also led to political confrontation between the Congress and BJP over the circumstances and meaning of the alleged purification ritual.
Senior BJP leaders, including Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, had defended the shuddhikaran while giving it a different context, claiming it was a response to divisive slogans allegedly raised at Kharge’s meeting by people from a particular community.
