Bhubaneswar, September 2: The Odisha Youth Congress on Wednesday staged a protest march in Bhubaneswar, demanding the withdrawal of an FIR registered against senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his remarks concerning an alleged caste-based “purification” ritual at Haldwani in Uttarakhand.
The alleged incident took place on August 8, following a public meeting address by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Haldwani. The FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by a member of the Valmiki community in Haldwani, who alleged that Gandhi had made casteist remarks about a religious ritual conducted at the venue of Kharge’s program.
Several Youth Congress workers, led by state president Ranjit Patra, took out a protest march from Congress Bhawan towards the BJP state headquarters in Bhubaneswar today.
However, police personnel stopped the protesters midway, leading to a scuffle between the two sides. The situation briefly escalated as the protesters attempted to move ahead towards the BJP office.
The Youth Congress leaders criticised the registration of the FIR and demanded that the case against Gandhi be withdrawn soon, calling the actions politically motivated.
