Bengaluru police file zero FIR over ‘purification’ ritual Uttarakhand’s Haldwani
Bengaluru police have filed a zero FIR regarding a 'purification' ritual performed at a Ramlila Ground in Uttarakhand following a political rally by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge. The case involves allegations of insulting a community and promoting enmity between groups.
Why it matters
The incident highlights ongoing tensions regarding caste-based discrimination and the political weaponization of religious rituals in India.
Bengaluru city police on Friday registered a zero FIR in connection with the alleged shuddikaran (purification) of the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, days after Indian National Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a political rally at the venue in August.
The ‘shuddikaran yagna’ incident unfolded on August 11 at the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani. The alleged ritual, conducted by an outfit, followed a political rally addressed by Mr. Kharge at the venue on August 8.
Mr. Kharge and the Congress party had been demanding the registration of an FIR by the Haldwani police in connection with the incident. However, no FIR had been filed.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, T. Ramappa, a former member of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee SC/ST wing, lodged a complaint at the Vidhana Soudha police station in Bengaluru in connection with the incident, alleging that the purification exercise had insulted the community.
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