Karnataka police register FIR against Tejasvi Surya for false farmer suicide claim

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The Haveri Police in Karnataka has registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Tejasvi Surya for making a false claim regarding the suicide of a farmer in the district. Surya had alleged that the farmer, Rudrappa Channappa Balikai, took his own life after his land was claimed by the Waqf board.

According to the FIR filed on Thursday, Surya claimed on social media that Balikai committed suicide after discovering that his land had been "taken over by the Waqf," and further blamed Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan for allegedly unleashing "catastrophic effects in Karnataka." Surya's post also referred to a news article from a Kannada newspaper, which he has since deleted.

In response to the claims, the Superintendent of Police in Haveri clarified that the assertion made by Surya was false. The police statement said, "The news shared is false. No such incident has been reported. The suicide case of Rudrappa Channappa Balikai, which was reported on 6th January 2022, was linked to loan and crop loss. The case was registered under section 174 of the CrPC at Adur Police Station, and the final report had already been submitted."

In his defence, Surya admitted that he had been misled by the report. He later posted, "Thanks for the information. The tweet stands deleted. I will henceforth not rely on the news agency that reported it. Given the rampant number of Waqf conversion notices being issued to thousands of farmers across the state, one is easily led to believe such outcomes."

The row over Waqf land and properties has escalated in recent days. Jagdambika Pal, the Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf Amendment Bill, visited various districts, including Hubballi and Vijayapura, accompanied by Tejasvi Surya. Pal confirmed that a fact-finding report on the issue would be presented during the upcoming winter session of Parliament.

The BJP has alleged that Waqf designations were improperly added to land records for 44 properties in the Indi and Chadachan taluks of Vijayapura district, following a meeting between Karnataka Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan and district officials.

In response, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that he had instructed officials to halt the issuing of notices to farmers and to withdraw those already issued. According to ANI, the controversy continues to grow as political leaders and officials try to address the issue surrounding Waqf land in the state.

(With inputs from ANI)