Nainital Police register FIR against ‘unknown persons’ for performing ‘purification’ of Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally venue
Nainital Police have registered an FIR against unknown individuals for performing a 'purification' ritual at a venue where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge held a rally. The Congress party alleges the act was motivated by caste-based discrimination, while the organizers deny any such intent.
Why it matters
The incident highlights ongoing tensions regarding caste-based discrimination in public spaces and the legal challenges involved in addressing hate speech and discriminatory practices under the SC/ST Act.
Almost a month after ‘ shuddhikaran ’ (purification) ritual conducted at Haldwani’s Ramlila ground following a rally addressed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on August 8, the Nainital Police on Tuesday (September 8, 2026) lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against ‘unknown persons’ for the conduct.
On August 11, members of the Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas Sangathan conducted a ‘ shuddhikaran yagna ’ (purification yagna) at the venue. Video of the ritual went viral on social media in which all the participants were visible performing the hawan . A few of them also interacted with the media post the event.
Nainital Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manjunath TC told the media that the FIR was registered against unknown persons on the complaint of Congress worker Anju, who, according to him, was the first person to submit a complaint in connection with the matter.
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