NEW DELHI: Police in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district registered an FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday for allegedly making “anti-national” statements, following a complaint filed by members of BJP, RSS, and affiliated organizations on February 5.
The FIR was filed at Jharsuguda police station under sections 152 and 197(1)(d) of BNS, which deal with acts threatening India’s sovereignty and publishing false information that endangers national security.

The complaint was initially submitted to IGP Northern Range, Himanshu Lal, by members of BJP, its youth wing, RSS, and Bajrang Dal from Jharsuguda district.
The complainants alleged that Gandhi had been deliberately making anti-national statements that hurt every Indian individual.
IGP Lal forwarded the complaint to Jharsuguda SP Parmar Smit Parshottamdas for investigation and necessary legal action, following which the FIR was registered as case No 31.
In response to the development, former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Srikant Jena told PTI, “I do not know the nature of the allegation against Rahul Gandhi, let me see it first. The Congress as a political party has been fighting against the ideology of BJP and RSS.”
The sections under which Gandhi has been booked specifically criminalize acts that threaten India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity, as well as making or publishing false or misleading information that threatens the country’s unity, sovereignty, integrity, or security.