New Delhi: The dispute over the alleged ‘purification’ of a venue in Haldwani after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally has spread across Uttarakhand, with the Congress filing FIRs at 123 police stations.
Uttarakhand Congress President Ganesh Godiyal said on Tuesday (September 1) party office-bearers and workers have filed FIRs at 123 police stations against BJP leaders. Uttarakhand has 167 police stations and outposts, according to government data. The issue came up within the Congress on August 19, when the party national president mentioned the incident during a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting.
The Congress action therefore covers a large part of the state’s police network.
Godiyal said the decision to approach police stations across the state was taken during a meeting of the Uttarakhand Congress committee. He said the initial plan was to file a few FIRs. He said the idea was proposed during the state committee meeting.
The FIRs seek action against those responsible for the incident. During the meeting, the party decided that Congress workers or office-bearers should go to police stations across the state and lodge complaints. He emphasised the decision came from the Uttarakhand Congress unit, not from the party’s central leadership in Delhi.
The move came after a first information report (FIR) was filed against Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in Uttarakhand following his comments on the incident at a press conference in Delhi. The Congress then decided to file FIRs across the state against the people it holds responsible for the purification ceremony.
