Three FIRs filed in Chhattisgarh against Rahul Gandhi for his remarks in US on Sikhs

Three FIRs have been registered against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in various parts of Chhattisgarh for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of the Sikh community through remarks made during his recent visit to the U.S., police said on Friday.

Two cases—one at the Civil Lines police station in the capital Raipur and another at the Bilaspur Civil Lines police station in Bilaspur district—were filed on Thursday. An additional FIR was registered at the Kotwali police station in Durg district on Friday. The cases were initiated based on complaints from BJP leaders, with similar complaints also submitted at police stations in other districts by ruling party members.

In all instances, Gandhi has been booked under sections 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to insult religious beliefs) and 302 (intentionally hurting someone's religious feelings) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.


State BJP spokesperson Amarjeet Singh Chhabra, in his complaint filed in Raipur, stated that Gandhi questioned whether Sikhs would be allowed to wear a turban or a 'kada' and go to Gurdwara in India. Chhabra claimed that Gandhi's statement has hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikh community, asserting, "In the entire world and even in India, the Sikh community is not prohibited from wearing a turban or 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."

The complaint at the Durg Kotwali police station was lodged by BJP's Durg district unit chief Jitendra Verma, and similar complaints have been filed by BJP leaders in other police stations across Durg, Surguja, and additional districts. Gandhi made the controversial comment while addressing a gathering of several hundred Indian Americans in Herndon, a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C., on September 9.