What happened: FIR in Varanasi over a Ram Temple donation ‘theft’ skit

Uttar Pradesh Police registered a first information report (FIR) in Varanasi against Rahul Gandhi and MPs Pappu Yadav and Awadhesh Prasad over a skit staged on Parliament premises. The FIR is based on an allegation that the skit portrayed “donation theft” connected to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and was intended to outrage religious sentiments, according to the complaint that triggered the case.

The FIR was registered at Kolwali police station in Varanasi. The complaint was filed by Jagadguru Balak Das, head of Patalpuri Math, along with other seers, alleging deliberate and malicious acts meant to hurt religious sentiments of the seer community and to insult “bhagwa” (saffron).

The FIR-linked description of the skit portrayal, as stated in the complaint narrative, alleges that Rahul Gandhi appeared to place money in a box, while Pappu Yadav, shown in saffron attire, indicated “theft” by slipping the box contents into pockets.

The FIR mentioned offence categories related to: (1) promoting enmity between groups, (2) deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings, (3) uttering words or gestures with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings, and (4) offences committed by multiple persons with shared intention (shared intention liability).

Background and earlier position: complaint-led trigger and parallel petition for action

Related current affairs