NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police is enquiring into a complaint filed against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over an alleged disruption during the singing of the National Song, “Vande Mataram”, at the party’s Independence Day function at AICC headquarters on August 15.“The complaint regarding the alleged incident during the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ at the Independence Day function held at AICC Headquarters on 15 August 2026 is being enquired into,” said the Delhi Police, as quoted by ANI.The complaint was lodged at the IP Estate Police Station by advocate Shubh Sharma along with advocate Kunal Vinayak. Delhi Police said the complaint regarding the alleged incident during the rendition of “Vande Mataram” is being enquired into.The complaint seeks legal action against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over their alleged conduct during the rendition. It refers to video footage and media reports concerning the incident.According to the complaint, Sonia Gandhi allegedly made gestures and communicated with people present in a manner that, the complainant claims, indicated an objection to the continuation of the National Song. It also alleges that Rahul Gandhi was heard saying, “We are not singing Vande Mataram,” during the rendition.The allegations have not been established by the police. The complaint states that the exact nature, intention and purpose of the alleged conduct require investigation.The complainant has sought registration of an FIR after the police determines the applicable legal provisions and conducts a fair and time-bound investigation.
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The complaint also refers to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and asks the police to ascertain its legal status and whether its provisions were in force on the date of the alleged incident.It refers to a proposed provision that would extend penal protection to the National Song, including against intentionally preventing its singing or causing disturbance to an assembly engaged in such singing.The complaint was filed on August 16 and also cites the Supreme Court’s 2018 judgment in Shyam Narayan Chouksey v. Union of India. The complainant has said additional audiovisual material, witness details and other evidence may be submitted to the investigating agency.For now, Delhi Police has said the complaint is being enquired into; there is no indication in the material provided that an FIR has been registered against Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi.
