Cong's Udit Raj Burns Manusmriti Copies Over FIR on Rahul Gandhi in 'Purification' Row Outside RSS Delhi HQs; Detained

New Delhi: Congress leader Udit Raj was detained by Delhi Police on Monday while leading a protest outside the Keshav Kunj Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters. He was joined by other party workers opposing the recent FIR lodged against Rahul Gandhi in connection with the Haldwani “purification” controversy.

Raj stated that he had been detained after arriving at the RSS office and burning a copy of the Manusmriti. 

“I have been detained. I came to the Keshav Kunj RSS headquarters… I burnt the Manusmriti. Our leader Mallikarjun Kharge was disrespected, and an FIR has been registered against Rahul Gandhi,” he said.

The demonstration followed the registration of an FIR against the Congress MP by Haldwani City Kotwali Police on August 30. The case stems from a complaint filed by 26-year-old Amit Kumar, a resident of Jawahar Nagar Colony in Haldwani and a member of the Valmiki community. Kumar, who also serves as an office-bearer of the Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas organisation, alleged that Gandhi’s remarks had hurt the sentiments of the Scheduled Caste community.

Police invoked Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(u) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, along with Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Section 199 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, relating to jurisdiction, has also been cited in the FIR.

The controversy traces back to a “shuddhikaran yajna” (purification ritual) conducted at the venue in Haldwani where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had addressed a party rally on August 8. Rahul Gandhi had earlier demanded the immediate registration of an FIR under the SC/ST Act against those responsible for the ritual. He described the act as “another name for untouchability” and argued that it constituted a violation of the law.

“This act violates the SC/ST Act. Performing a ‘purification’ ritual is a crime. Yet, no action has been taken. Therefore, we demand that an FIR be registered immediately against those who carried out this purification ritual in Uttarakhand,” Gandhi had said at the time.

The protest in Delhi marked the latest political flashpoint in the ongoing dispute.

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