The Yogi Adityanath administration has once again dared do what other spineless state governments and their heads (Read: Delhi and Kejriwal) have failed to do. The UP Police on Thursday lodged an FIR against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and several journalists, including India Today’s Rajdeep Sardesai, Congres mouthpiece National Herald’s Mrinal Pandey, Zafar Agha of Qaumi Awaz, and Caravan magazine’s editor and founder Paresh Nath, Caravan editor Anant Nath and its executive editor Vinod K Jose, and one unnamed person, for allegedly spreading misinformation on the farmers’ tractor rally on January 26.
The FIR under section 154 of CrPC has been lodged at the Noida sector 20 police station and the police has already started with the investigation. “An FIR was filed for alleged sedition regarding content posted by some persons. No arrests have been made. We are investigating the allegations,” said Rakesh Kumar Singh SHO, Noida Sector 20 police station.
FIR registered against Shashi Tharoor, Rajdeeo Sardesai, Mrinal Pandey, Zafar and 3 editors of The Caravan in UP. They all had shared fake news of "Farmer shot by police".
Note: @thecaravanindia have unknown eye-witness too. Now the will bring eye-witness to court 😂 pic.twitter.com/3z33kc4PWd— Facts (@BefittingFacts) January 28, 2021
The UP police remarked that the accused persons knowingly circulated fake news for their political benefits and to instigate the protestors for violence. “Due to the atmosphere created by their tweets, protesters reached the Lal Qila and hoisted religious and other flags. The named persons are wholly responsible for this unfortunate incident in India’s history,” the FIR further states.
Fully aware that his tweet could potentially aggravate the sensitive law and order situation in Delhi, the India Today anchor, Rajdeep Sardesai had tweeted, “One person, 45-year-old Navneet killed allegedly in police firing at ITO.” In a bid to pump up emotions, he added, “Farmers tell me: the ‘sacrifice’ will not go in vain.”
Rajdeep who has a flair for theatrics to amplify his lies simultaneously posted the photo of the person draped in Tricolour who had just died. Fortunately, the Delhi Police released a video that brought out the truth and exposed Rajdeep’s cheap journalism ethos.
The protestor had died trying to ram the police barricade. Once the social media got hold of Rajdeep’s lie, he quickly deleted the tweet and went back to playing a responsible journalist, issuing sermons to others. Since then, Rajdeep has been taken off air and has received a salary cut of one month from his employers.
The darling publication of left-liberal cabal, The Caravan peddled similar lies, taking a cue out of Rajdeep’s book. Astonishingly, the tweets by the Caravan are still up on Twitter and the social media platform is yet to flag it as ‘fake news’ or for better, ban it.
Read more: How Twitter played a role in the Red Fort siege and then in justifying it
BREAKING | Updates on the killing of #farmer Navneet Singh at ITO:
An eyewitness told The Caravan that he saw the police firing from behind the grills of the Andhra Education Society. A group of police officials led by ACP HSP Singh have taken charge of the CCTV footage. pic.twitter.com/jNPpTUtMje
— The Caravan (@thecaravanindia) January 26, 2021
Those perpetuating ‘fake news’ need to be brought under the rule of law, to face the music. The UP government is leading from the front and its high time that the central government helps the UP police in bringing the accused into the judicial net so that an example can be set.