FIR against Rahul Gandhi for statement on Sikh rights
The Karnataka BJP on Saturday filed a formal police complaint at the High Grounds police station in Bengaluru against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over his recent remarks in the US, where he claimed that the fight in India was about whether Sikhs would be allowed to wear a turban, kada, and visit a gurdwara. Amit Malviya, the BJP IT cell chief, later confirmed that an FIR had been lodged in connection with the complaint.
The FIR calls for action against Gandhi for making “divisive and provocative remarks” that allegedly target Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and endanger India’s internal security, sovereignty, unity, and integrity by his comments about Sikhs.
The BJP’s Karnataka state unit has demanded a police investigation into Gandhi’s statements and legal action against him.
The complainant, BJP leader and former Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao, stated, “The BJP has filed a criminal complaint against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for offences that bring divisiveness among communities through his remarks against OBCs and SCs. He even claimed in the US that Sikhs are not safe in our country. Such statements paint a very poor picture of India by someone holding such an important constitutional position. When his grandmother, Indira Gandhi, was confronted on foreign soil about her actions in India, she firmly responded that these were internal matters. Rahul Gandhi should learn from her example.”
Rao added that the BJP’s complaint asserts that Gandhi has incited division and spread hatred among communities. “This is a non-bailable and cognisable offence, warranting the registration of an FIR,” he said.
