Varanasi police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Independent MP Pappu Yadav, and Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad. The legal action follows a formal complaint from a group of seers who alleged that the three lawmakers insulted Sanatan Dharma during a protest held on the Parliament premises in New Delhi. The controversy stems from a skit performed by opposition members on Friday to highlight allegations of donation embezzlement at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
During the demonstration, opposition MPs placed donation boxes on the steps of the Parliament complex. In the skit, Pappu Yadav, dressed in saffron robes, acted as a priest who collected money from the boxes and placed it into his pockets, while other MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, participated by depositing cash. The protest was intended to draw attention to reports of financial irregularities at the temple, which have been the subject of a special investigation team probe in Uttar Pradesh.
Following the performance, religious leaders and members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expressed strong disapproval, arguing that the act mocked Hindu traditions and religious sentiments. The FIR, filed at the Kotwali police station in Varanasi, invokes several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those related to promoting enmity between groups on religious grounds and deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings.
Deputy Commissioner of Police for the Kashi Zone, Gaurav Banswal, confirmed that the case has been registered and that an investigation is underway. The incident has triggered a broader political debate, with BJP leaders filing separate complaints in Delhi, while opposition parties maintain that their protest was a legitimate exercise of their parliamentary role to hold the government accountable for alleged corruption.