Chhattisgarh: FIRs against Rahul for remarks on Sikhs on US visit

Three FIRs have been registered against Congress MP and Lok Sabha leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi in parts of Chhattisgarh for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of the Sikh community through his remarks made during his recent US visit, police said on Friday, 20 September.

While two cases — one at the Civil Lines police station in state capital Raipur and another at the Bilaspur Civil Lines police station in Bilaspur district — were registered on Thursday, an FIR was filed at the Kotwali police station in Durg district on Friday, they said.

The cases were registered based on complaints lodged by BJP leaders. Similar complaints have been submitted at police stations in other districts of the state too by ruling party leaders.

In all these cases, Gandhi was charged under sections 299 (deliberate and malicious acts that are intended to insult religious beliefs or outrage religious feelings of any class) and 302 (intentionally hurting someone's religious feelings by words, sounds, gestures, or objects) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, they said.

State BJP spokesperson Amarjeet Singh Chhabra, in his complaint lodged in Raipur, stated that Gandhi had asked whether Sikhs would be allowed to wear a turban or a kada and go to a gurdwara in India. Gandhi's statement has hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikh community in India, Chhabra said in the complaint.

Talking about Sikhs during his visit to a US university on 9 September, Gandhi had said: “The fight was about whether he, as a Sikh, will be allowed to wear a turban in India. Or he, as a Sikh, will be allowed to wear a kada (iron bangle) in India. Or he, as a Sikh, will be able to go to the gurdwara. And this was about all religions.”

"In the entire world and even in India, the Sikh community is not prohibited from wearing a turban, a kada and visiting gurdwaras. Even the prime minister visits gurdwara wearing a turban. Gandhi's statement is intended to hurt the sentiments of the peace-loving Sikh community, which may create discrimination and animosity with other religions of the society," Chhabra claimed.

Significantly, the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) has come out in support of Gandhi as reported in the media, with SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami saying he was not taking Gandhi's side, but would say “what is genuine”, without actually naming Gandhi.

Speaking at an event to mark the 450th anointment day of Sri Guru Ramdas and Joti Joti Diwas (death anniversary) of Guru Amardas on Wednesday, Dhami said, "What was the crime of two Sikh girls who were asked to remove their religious symbols during a judicial examination in Rajasthan? It’s an everyday thing. Sikh students are asked to remove their kada during exams. We have to file a petition to defend our fundamental rights, which are violated every day."

The case in Durg Kotwali police station was lodged by BJP's Durg district unit chief Jitendra Verma. BJP leaders have lodged complaints on the same issue in other police stations of Durg, Surguja and some other districts.

With PTI inputs