Tejasvi Surya booked for 'fake news' in waqf controversy

BENGALURU: Police in Congress-governed Karnataka filed Friday an FIR against Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya over a post on his social media handle that claimed a farmer had died by suicide after Waqf Board allegedly confiscated his property. The post, based on a media report, sparked controversy and led to an investigation.

The case came a day after Jagdambika Pal, chairman of the joint parliamentary committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, visited Hubballi, Vijayapura on and Belagavi to meet affected farmers. Surya had accompanied Pal on the tour. The FIR in Haveri district charges Surya under Section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, pertaining to inciting enmity between people. Besides the MP, two editors of Kannada digital media outlets have been named as co-accused.

Surya, also BJP national youth president , said in the post: "A farmer in Haveri commits suicide after finding his land taken over by the waqf. In their haste to appease minorities, CM Siddaramaiah and Minister Zameer Khan have unleashed catastrophic effects in Karnataka that are becoming impossible to contain with every passing day (sic)."

The post was based on a report published by Kannada Duniya e-paper. The FIR claims the report is "false news".

A statement from CM Siddaramaiah's office cited a report in the two Kannada portals claiming the farmer named Rudrappa from Hanaragi village in Haveri ended his life eight years ago after discovering his four-acre plot was listed as waqf property in land records.