Goa, Aug. 29 -- Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi direct the filing of an FIR against those who carried out the alleged "shuddikaran" or purification of a ground in Haldwani after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a public meeting there.

Gandhi said the incident reflected a larger ideological battle between the Constitution and what he described as the views of the RSS-BJP. He demanded that action be taken under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, asserting that Kharge must receive justice.

"Our demand is that an FIR should be lodged at the earliest against those who performed shuddikaran," Gandhi said at a press conference. He also que...