Controversy Erupts Over MP Tejasvi Surya's Alleged Fake News Post

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and Kannada news editors are facing charges for allegedly spreading false information about a farmer's suicide linked to Waqf Board land disputes. The incident was later clarified to have been related to financial distress, not land disputes.

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, along with editors of certain Kannada news portals, has been accused of distributing misinformation regarding a farmer's suicide supposedly connected to land disputes with the Waqf Board, local police confirmed.

Surya shared the article on 'X', implying that the incident in Haveri district was due to land seizure by the board. However, he later removed the post following a police statement that the news was falsified, citing the farmer's death in January 2022 was due to loan debts and crop failure.

A case has since been registered against Surya and the editors under section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for promoting enmity between groups. Surya maintains that credible sources had reported the incident and criticizes pressure on the police to alter facts regarding the farmer's suicide.

(With inputs from agencies.)