Beyond Touch-Me-Not-Ism: The Politics of Purification Ritual
as Retribution at Ram Lila
By Sat Pal Muman, 30th August 2026
As reported by various media outlets in India, a political
controversy in a land of many controversies and contradictions has resurfaced, once
again exposing the deeply entrenched and overlapping nature of politics and
religion, this time centring on the treatment of Indian National Congress
President and Rajya Sabha Leader of the Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge.
In India, politics and religion overlap almost daily,
creating a volatile environment in which the two are virtually
indistinguishable. Religion is frequently weaponised as a tool to settle
political scores, while politics is simultaneously utilised to stoke religious
hatred and mobilise vote banks. This disturbing pattern has continued and
intensified under the Modi government, which has routinely exploited religious
divisions to maintain its grip on power. If Muslims happen to be the primary
targets of this divisive political climate, Dalits also appear to be the
targets, highlighting a shifting yet familiar playbook of marginalisation.
The epicentre of this latest controversy is Haldwani,
Uttarakhand, India, where Kharge addressed a public rally at the Ramlila Ground
on August 8, 2026, as part of his party's preparations for the 2027 state
assembly elections. Allegedly, after his departure, members of a local
right-wing organisation known as the Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas
conducted a purification ritual on the stage and grounds where the Dalit leader
had stood. Whilst the act is obnoxious by any measure of decency, conducting
this purificatory ceremony at the Ram Lila ground, reportedly three days after
the conference ended, raises a perplexing logistical and theological question:
after how many days or weeks should the act of purification be conducted after
the initial impurity? Perhaps those conducting the purificatory ceremony can
explain their obnoxious actions?
As reported, the stated motives and justifications provided
by the offenders are riddled with glaring logical contradictions.
Representatives of the organisation claimed that the Ramlila Ground is
exclusively a “cultural and religious” platform and should not be used for
political events by any party. Furthermore, it was alleged that the
purification was triggered specifically because "objectionable
slogans" were raised during Kharge's rally, with claims that these slogans
"sounded like Islamic slogans" and references to Kharge's past
remarks about the BJP and the RSS.
However, this defence completely ignores the venue’s
history. Political campaigns, including general and state assembly election
rallies by major political parties such as the Indian National Congress and the
Bharatiya Janata Party, as well as regional outfits, have been held at this
very ground for decades without ever triggering such a ritual. No public record
or historical precedent shows a purifying ritual taking place at the
Ramlila Ground before this August 2026 event. This glaring double standard
raises critical questions about ownership and authority: is the Ram Lila ground
a sanctified Hindu ground, and is there an attempt to assume ownership of the
place on religious grounds to shut everyone else out? One must ask who truly
owns the Ram Lila ground, and what right these individuals had to perform such
a ceremony there. Does the mere name of "Ram Lila" alone suffice to
give these fringe elements religious and legal legitimacy to dictate who can
and cannot speak there?
The group's specific claim that "objectionable
slogans" necessitated a religious purification is highly suspect and
warrants intense scrutiny. Could the objectionable slogans genuinely be grounds
for the religious purification ceremony? It is vitally important to know, and
for the offenders to tell us, exactly which specific act should provoke a
purificatory ritual based on their religious belief. If we take their claim at
face value, it would represent perhaps the first modern case of a political
slogan (a spoken word) being deemed a legitimate cause for a purificatory
religious ritual.
In reality, these flimsy defences suggest a far more
sinister motive rooted in caste prejudice. This episode suggests that
untouchability in modern India is not merely "touch-me-not-ism" but
something far deeper. The incident demonstrates how offenders have exploited
religious sentiment to degrade another human being on the basis of caste. The
act appears to revive the ancient, discriminatory notion that the mere presence
or touch of a person from a historically marginalised caste can render a place
impure and in need of religiously sanctified ritual cleansing.
This purificatory ritual clearly violated India's
anti-untouchability laws. Crucially, these actions constitute cognisable
and non-compoundable offences under Indian law. A cognisable offence
means the police have the legal authority to act immediately, investigate
without court orders, and arrest the accused without a warrant. A
non-compoundable offence means the crime is so severe and against the public
interest that it cannot be privately settled or compromised between the victim
and the accused to drop the charges; the trial must proceed regardless. Because
these offences are viewed as crimes against the State and society at large, a
formal complaint need not come from the victim. Any citizen can lodge a First
Information Report (FIR), and police officers are duty-bound to act upon
receiving credible media reports or evidence. It is even more surprising that
the police have failed to act and that a formal complaint has not yet been
lodged.
Despite this extensive statutory power and clear judicial
mandates, the authorities have hesitated. The police have not taken the suo
moto action they are fully empowered to take, raising serious questions
about the integrity of law enforcement in politically sensitive cases. By
avoiding swift legal consequences, the offenders have effectively blown the
proverbial raspberry at the authorities, mocking the legal system and turning a
religious act of purification into a toxic display of political rhetoric. This
inaction underscores a stark gap between India’s constitutional principles and
entrenched religious bias.
To preserve the integrity of India's democratic framework
and its foundational constitutional promise to protect citizens from
untouchability, offenders must be punished. The authorities must act
immediately and decisively to apprehend offenders. Filing an FIR and launching
a stringent investigation are not merely political demands but non-negotiable
legal obligations under the SC/ST Act and the Protection of Civil Rights Act.
Arresting those who orchestrate such degrading rituals is essential to send an
unambiguous signal across the country that such discriminatory actions
blatantly violate the law and will not be tolerated under any pretext. Until
the legal machinery forcefully rejects these inherited notions of hierarchy and
exclusion, the constitutional abolition of untouchability will remain a hollow
promise for millions of citizens.
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