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The article details a recent case involving BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and editors of two Kannada news portals who have been booked for promoting enmity between communities through false statements. The case stems from a farmer's death in 2022, which was falsely linked to a recent controversy involving notices issued to farmers over the occupation of Waqf land. This event highlights a growing trend of misinformation and its potential to inflame communal tensions.
The controversy began when Surya, who is a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, posted a message on social media alleging that a farmer in Haveri had committed suicide after finding his land taken over by the Waqf board. This claim was based on reports in the news portals Kannada Dunia e-paper and Kannada News e-paper, which falsely suggested that the farmer's death was a recent occurrence linked to the Waqf land dispute. However, a fact-check by the Haveri police revealed that the farmer had actually died in January 2022 due to debt and agricultural losses, a case that had already been investigated and closed.
The Haveri CEN police registered a case suo motu against Surya and the editors of the news portals, accusing them of spreading false information to promote enmity between communities. This action follows a pattern of BJP leaders making inflammatory statements related to Waqf properties, often using the term 'land jihad' to accuse Muslims of encroaching on land with the support of the Congress government. The Congress, in turn, has accused the BJP of creating communal unrest by exploiting civil land disputes.
The case underscores the dangerous potential of misinformation and its role in fueling communal tensions. The deliberate distortion of facts and the spreading of false narratives, particularly on social media, can have serious consequences for social harmony and public order. It also highlights the need for responsible journalism and fact-checking to counter the spread of misinformation and prevent the escalation of communal tensions.