Thirty-two Congress lawmakers from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe backgrounds have decided to file a complaint with President Droupadi Murmu regarding an alleged “purification yajna” held in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani. This followed a rally addressed by party president Mallikarjun Kharge.
During a meeting at Indira Bhavan, the Congress headquarters, the MPs called the incident a serious attack on the dignity of SCs and STs and a violation of constitutional principles of equality and the abolition of untouchability.
“We discussed the shocking purification event in Haldwani after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally. We’ve decided to form a parliamentary group to address this issue at all levels. We will submit our complaint to the President tomorrow,” said Lok Sabha member Mallu Ravi.
The MPs finalized a document requesting presidential intervention and action. They also planned to create a parliamentary forum to address issues affecting SCs and STs.
Congress leaders K. Raju and Rajendra Pal Gautam were present at the meeting. Mr. Raju mentioned that the proposed forum would devise strategies to raise concerns about SC and ST communities in Parliament.
The alleged ritual took place on August 11, three days after Mr. Kharge spoke at Haldwani. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had criticized the incident and called for legal action under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against those involved.