Haldwani’s Ramleela Venue Sanctified Following Kharge’s Victory Shankhnaad Rally

On August 13, the historic Ramleela venue in Haldwani was the scene of a purification yagna organized by Shri Ram Sena Dharmaarth Seva Nyas after Mallikarjun Kharge’s Victory Shankhnaad rally concluded earlier in the week.

Girish Pandey, president of the trust, said the ceremony was a necessary step to regain the ground’s holiness, which he believed had been compromised by political slogans and remarks that offended Hindu devotees. Pandey and Pandit Mohan Shastri performed the havan, invoking traditional deities for cleansing.

The organisers pointed to recent statements by anti‑religious groups that allegedly targeted Lord Ram and threatened Hindu values, arguing that such rhetoric made the purification imperative. They also accused the rally of providing a platform to a person who likened Hindu organisations to serpents and demanded the elimination of the Muslim community.

The Congress party dismissed the yagna as a tactical move to politicize religious sentiment, while local leaders from both sides have escalated their statements, turning the incident into a heated political discourse across Uttarakhand.