Dehradun, August 30:The Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee will lodge FIRs at multiple locations across all districts of the state on Monday over the alleged “purification” ritual conducted at Haldwani’s Ramlila Ground following Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally on August 8.

The move follows a decision and directions from the All India Congress Committee (AICC). The party will also stage a major protest in Dehradun on September 7 over the controversy. Senior Congress leaders, including Uttarakhand in-charge Kumari Selja, are expected to attend the protest.

Leader of Opposition in the Uttarakhand Assembly, Yashpal Arya, confirmed the programmes.

The controversy intensified after a “purification” ritual was reportedly conducted at the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani following Kharge’s rally. The Congress has since been demanding registration of FIRs and legal action against those allegedly involved in the ritual.

Kharge had raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha, alleging that a purification ritual was conducted at the venue after his August 8 rally. The rally was organised as part of the Congress’s preparations for the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly elections. Kharge subsequently sought legal action in a post on X.

Earlier on Saturday, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also demanded the immediate registration of an FIR under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against those allegedly involved in the “shuddhikaran” (purification) ritual.

“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 said.

The BJP, however, has rejected the Congress’s allegations of a caste-related angle in the controversy.

BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, addressing a press conference in New Delhi, claimed that there was “no caste angle” in the video related to the Uttarakhand “shuddhikaran” controversy. He accused the Congress of repeatedly raising caste and other such issues to create divisions within Hindu society.

The Congress has maintained that the alleged ritual amounted to an insult and has stepped up its demand for legal action, turning the issue into a fresh political confrontation between the two parties in Uttarakhand.