Bengaluru, September 5 (Daily Kiran) : Karnataka police are preparing to send an FIR filed against Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt and other party members to authorities in Uttarakhand for further investigation. This action follows a complaint linked to a “purification ritual” held in Bengaluru after a state visit by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge.
The FIR was registered at the Vidhan Soudha police station based on a complaint by T.R. Ramappa, a former vice-president of the Congress Scheduled Tribes Department. According to the complaint, the ritual took place on August 8 at Ramleela Maidan in Nainital district, following Kharge’s address at a public gathering. The ritual was reportedly intended to express a caste-based belief that Kharge’s presence rendered the location “impure.”
Ramappa accused Bhatt and other BJP officials of defending and supporting the ritual through media statements. He argued that such statements amounted to public endorsement of caste-based discrimination, effectively granting it political legitimacy.
After seeking legal advice on the written complaint submitted on August 31, Bengaluru police registered the zero FIR under the provisions of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Police officials indicated that the FIR will soon be forwarded to the appropriate authorities in Uttarakhand for further inquiry. Under the zero FIR provision, any police station can register a complaint regardless of jurisdiction, with the case later transferred to the relevant police station where the crime occurred.
This development comes just a day after Kharge wrote to BJP president J.P. Nadda, questioning the lack of an FIR regarding the purification ritual in Haldwani. Kharge noted that it had been 24 days since the incident and recalled Nadda’s assurance that appropriate action would be taken.
The registration of the zero FIR by Karnataka police opens the door for Uttarakhand authorities to take over the investigation and address the allegations.
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