Congress Protests Across States Following FIR Against Rahul Gandhi

Congress party units in several states, including Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar, and Goa, held demonstrations on Monday following the registration of a first information report (FIR) against Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. The legal action was taken by Uttarakhand Police after Amit Kumar, a member of the Shree Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Samiti, accused Gandhi of promoting enmity and ill will based on religion and caste. The dispute stems from a purification ceremony, or shuddikaran, performed at Haldwani's Ramlila Ground after a rally addressed by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who is from the Dalit community. Gandhi had previously demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi order an FIR against those who performed the ritual. In response, Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan condemned the FIR as a challenge to democracy and constitutional values. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal described the legal action as a weaponisation of state machinery and vendetta politics. Other party leaders, including Randeep Surjewala and Jairam Ramesh, accused the BJP of defending casteist behavior and targeting Gandhi for raising issues of discrimination against Dalits.