Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Union minister JP Nadda, seeking urgent action against those behind a purification ritual at Ramlila Maidan in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani after his August 8 public meeting, underlining that the issue is connected to the sentiments of millions who confront this cruel reality every day. He said no first information report (FIR) has been registered over three weeks after the incident.
On Sunday, the Uttarakhand Police registered an FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for referring to the purification ritual. The complainant in the case against Gandhi alleged he wrongly described the cleaning ritual as an act of untouchability and an atrocity against Dalits without verifying the facts.
Kharge wrote that the issue is larger than him or the Congress. “This issue is connected not just to me personally, or to my position as Congress president...,” he wrote in the letter dated September 2 (Wednesday) to Nadda in his capacity as Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha.
Kharge said he raised the matter first in the House on August 13. He alleged that a caste-based purification exercise was conducted after his meeting. Kharge recalled Nadda’s response in the House, calling it truly a very sad matter.
Nadda said this was not sad for the Congress alone but for all of them. He added that whatever happened would certainly be investigated. He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) never supports this kind of activity. Nadda condemned the ritual and promised the BJP chief will also look into it. He said the hurt caused to Kharge’s sentiments is a matter of regret for all.
{{/usCountry}}Nadda said this was not sad for the Congress alone but for all of them. He added that whatever happened would certainly be investigated. He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) never supports this kind of activity. Nadda condemned the ritual and promised the BJP chief will also look into it. He said the hurt caused to Kharge’s sentiments is a matter of regret for all.
{{/usCountry}}Kharge wrote that he is surprised that even 24 days later, an FIR has still not been registered against the individuals or organisations allegedly involved despite Nadda’s assurance. He noted that the Rajya Sabha chairman also expressed regret over the incident.
There was no immediate response from Nadda’s office or the BJP to the letter.
In the letter, Kharge drew a parallel with the 1927 Mahad Satyagraha, in which BR Ambedkar and fellow Dalits asserted their right to draw water from a public tank in Maharashtra. He wrote that when Ambedkar drank water from the tank, people full of caste arrogance poured 108 pots of cow urine and cow dung and performed purification, accompanied by chanting of mantras. He said such rituals have historically been used to enforce untouchability. “Purification by merely chanting mantras or performing a havan does not make this casteist process pure.”
Kharge said he was raising the issue not out of personal grievance but because it reflected a mindset that continues to affect a section of society directly. He added that this was why he sought Parliament’s attention to the matter.
Kharge urged Nadda to act on the assurance given in the House. “In light of these facts and the assurance given on the floor of the Rajya Sabha, I urge you to direct the chief minister of Uttarakhand to ensure that a First Information Report is registered against the individuals and organisations involved in this incident of purification that took place at Ramlila Maidan after my public meeting in Haldwani.”
The Congress has accused the state’s BJP government of being slow to act on complaints involving Dalit rights. It has increasingly used caste incidents to corner the BJP, framing them as evidence of a pattern.
The Congress has said it will continue to pursue the matter until an FIR is filed. Kharge wrote that he intends to keep writing on the issue until the assurance given in the Rajya Sabha is honoured.