Congress SC, ST MPs to petition President over Haldwani ‘purification’ row

Congress MP Mallu Ravi. File | Photo Credit: Siddhant Thakur Thirty-two Congress MPs belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities on Monday (September 7, 2026) decided to petition President Droupadi Murmu over the alleged “purification yajna” held in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani following a rally addressed by party president Mallikarjun Kharge.In a meeting at Indira Bhavan, the Congress headquarters, the MPs described the incident as a grave assault on the dignity and self-respect of SCs and STs and a direct affront to the constitutional values of equality and abolition of untouchability.“We discussed the shocking purification incident in Haldwani following Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally. We have decided to form a parliamentary forum to fight this at all levels. We will be submitting a representation to the President of India on Tuesday,” Lok Sabha member Mallu Ravi said.The MPs finalised a memorandum seeking the President’s intervention and appropriate action. They also decided to constitute a parliamentary forum to take up issues concerning SC and ST communities.Congress leaders K. Raju and Rajendra Pal Gautam also attended the meeting. Mr. Raju said the proposed forum would discuss a strategy for raising issues concerning SC and ST communities in Parliament.The alleged ritual was held on August 11, three days after Mr. Kharge addressed a public meeting at the venue. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had condemned the incident and demanded an FIR be registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against those responsible. Published - September 07, 2026 10:50 pm IST