Varanasi: A group of seers on Saturday lodged a criminal case against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Bihar MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav and SP MP Awadhesh Prasad at Kotwali police station over his symbolic skit inside the Parliament complex on the alleged donation theft at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir.The complainants alleged that the skit, aimed at attacking the BJP-led NDA govt over the alleged donation theft issue, hurt religious sentiments, promoted enmity between two groups, and insulted saffron attire and Sanatan traditions.DCP, Kashi Zone, Gaurav Banswal said that based on the complaint, a named FIR was lodged against Yadav, Prasad and Gandhi under Sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 302 (uttering words or making gestures with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings), and 3(5) (criminal act done by multiple people with a shared intent) of the BNS.Patalpuri Peethadhishwar Jagadguru Balak Devacharya, who submitted the complaint on behalf of the seers, said the seer fraternity was deeply hurt by what they termed an insult to ‘bhagwa’ (saffron), which is considered a sacred colour in the Sanatan tradition.“Pappu Yadav wore bhagwa and posed as a sadhu to stage a drama on the Parliament campus to showcase donation theft. Rahul Gandhi and Awadhesh Prasad made gestures of donating in a donation box. They used bhagwa for a political demonstration and made a mockery of the Sanatan tradition, Lord Ram and insulted the faith of crores of Hindus,” Devacharya said.“Instead of being a natural or instant reaction to any issue, it was a well-planned and coordinated act of mocking Sanatan and Bhagwa by assigning a role to each participant,” he said, adding that all evidence of the alleged insult to religious symbols and faith was available in the public domain and should be examined to ascertain the role of every Member of Parliament who participated in the drama, which, according to him, was instigating religious sentiments, tension and enmity.Devacharya warned that the seer fraternity, angered by the drama staged on the Parliament campus, would wait for a certain period to allow the police and other agencies to take appropriate action. He said that if action was delayed, the seers would launch a massive agitation.
