‘Purification’ of Haldwani Ram Lila ground after Kharge rally stirs political row

Dehradun has witnessed a contentious political dispute after a Hindu nationalist group conducted a purification ceremony at the Haldwani Ram Lila Ground, just two days after a major rally led by Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge at the same site. Members of the Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas Sangathan performed the ritual on August 10, accusing the venue of being used for political purposes and alleging inflammatory slogans were used during Kharge’s address on August 8.

Organisation member Girsh Chandra Pandey defended the purification, asserting that the Ram Lila Ground should strictly be reserved for religious and cultural events, not political gatherings. He claimed certain slogans raised during the Kharge rally sounded “Islamic” and referenced Kharge’s past criticisms of the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The incident sparked strong criticism from Congress state president Ganesh Godiyal, who called the purification a “direct insult” to Scheduled Caste (SC) communities and accused the ruling BJP of orchestrating the event. Godiyal also questioned the police’s impartiality, accusing Nainital SSP T C Manjunath of failing to act against those involved in the ritual while the Congress rally was forcefully restrained by police.

In response, BJP cabinet minister and state spokesperson Khajan Das denied any involvement of the party in the ritual, branding the allegations “baseless, false, and misleading.” Das instead criticized the behavior at the Congress rally, stating that such political sloganeering at the Ram Lila Ground has hurt Sanatan sentiments. He alleged the opposition was attempting to divert attention from the controversy by invoking caste-based divisions.