Pune Congress Protests FIR Against Rahul Gandhi

The Pune City Congress Committee staged a protest on Tuesday morning at the Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmibai Statue Chowk in Shivajinagar, condemning the FIR registered against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

The protest was led by Pune Congress Committee vice-president Chandu Sheth Kadam, who said the party strongly condemns the FIR registered against Gandhi for raising his voice against untouchability.

Congress workers raised slogans of “Constitution Zindabad” and criticised the action against Gandhi. Protesters carried placards accusing the BJP of using “casteist politics” and demanded that the FIR against the Congress leader be withdrawn.

Kadam said the party would take up the demand with the district administration and submit a letter to the Collector, urging the administration to take up the issue with the concerned authorities.

The controversy began after a Congress rally addressed by party president Mallikarjun Kharge at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani on August 8. A “shuddhikaran” or purification ritual, including a havan and cleaning of the venue, was conducted at the ground on August 11, two days after Kharge’s rally.

Congress leaders interpreted the act as an insult to Kharge, who is a Dalit, and alleged that the incident reflected an “untouchability” mindset. On August 29, Gandhi criticised the alleged purification ritual at a press conference in New Delhi and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi order an FIR against those responsible under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

However, the controversy took another turn when an FIR was registered against Gandhi at Haldwani Kotwali police station following a complaint by Amit Kumar, a member of the Valmiki community and office-bearer of a local trust. The complainant alleged that Gandhi had wrongly given a caste angle to the cleaning and havan ceremony and described it as an act of untouchability without verifying the facts.

The case was registered under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, along with Sections 196 and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), according to reports. Police have said an investigation is underway.

The protest in Pune is a sign of the escalating political tensions between the Congress and the BJP over the issue. The Congress has accused the BJP of using casteist politics, while the BJP has denied the allegations.

The incident has sparked a nationwide debate on the issue of untouchability and the treatment of Dalits in the country. The Congress has demanded that the FIR against Gandhi be withdrawn, and the party has vowed to take up the issue with the district administration.

The outcome of the investigation and the fate of the FIR against Gandhi remain to be seen. However, the incident has already sparked a major political controversy, with both parties trading accusations and counter-accusations.

In the end, the protest in Pune and the controversy surrounding the FIR against Gandhi highlight the deepening political divisions in the country and the need for a nuanced and informed discussion on the issues of caste and untouchability.