Bengaluru, September 5, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A Zero FIR has been registered in Bengaluru following a complaint over an alleged “shuddhikaran” (purification) ritual at Ramlila Ground in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, where Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had addressed a public rally on August 8.
The complaint was filed on August 31 by T.R. Ramappa, former vice-chairman of the Congress Scheduled Tribes Department. Based on the complaint, a Zero FIR was registered at Vidhana Soudha Police Station in Bengaluru on Friday.
Reacting to the development, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said the alleged incident was contrary to constitutional principles and that authorities were duty-bound to register a case after receiving a complaint.
According to the FIR, Ramappa alleged that certain BJP members and functionaries organised a “shuddhikaran” ritual at the same venue on August 10, two days after Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally. The complaint alleged that the ritual conveyed a casteist and derogatory message that Kharge’s presence had rendered the venue “impure” because he belongs to a Scheduled Caste community.
The complaint further alleged that Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt publicly defended or justified the purported ritual in media statements. The case names “Uttarakhand State BJP members and others” as accused.
The FIR invokes provisions of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The complaint was registered in Bengaluru although the alleged incident occurred in Haldwani, which falls under Haldwani Kotwali Police Station in Nainital district. A Zero FIR can, however, be registered at any police station irrespective of territorial jurisdiction and subsequently transferred to the police station concerned for investigation.
Priyank Kharge said the Uttarakhand government should have acted when the complaint was initially raised and also criticised what he described as the failure of authorities to address the issue promptly.
The case is expected to intensify the political debate over the alleged ritual and its implications for caste and religious sensitivities.
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