An FIR has been filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Jharsuguda district, Odisha, for allegedly making an "anti-national" statement, according to a senior police official. The complaint, lodged by members of the BJP, its youth wing, RSS, and Bajrang Dal, was submitted to IGP Northern Range, Himanshu Lal, on February 5, leading to the registration of the FIR on Friday.
An FIR has been registered against Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, at Jharsuguda police station (case No 31) under section 152 (criminalizes acts that threaten India's sovereignty, unity, and integrity), 197(1) (d) (for making or publishing false or misleading information that threatens India's unity, sovereignty, integrity, or security) of BNS, the officer said.
The complaint accused Rahul Gandhi of intentionally making anti-national remarks that offend every Indian citizen. In response, the IGP forwarded the complaint to Jharsuguda SP Parmar Smit Parshottamdas for investigation and necessary legal action. Following the SP’s directive, an FIR (Case No. 31) has been registered against Gandhi at Jharsuguda police station.
Reacting to the issue, former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Srikant Jena stated, “I am not yet aware of the specifics of the allegation against Rahul Gandhi, but I will review it. The Congress party has always opposed the ideologies of BJP and RSS.”