On Saturday, the Delhi Police filed a case against journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and 5 others in connection to the violence on the occasion of India’s 71st Republic Day.
As per reports, the First Information Report (FIR) was lodged at the IP Estate police station under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 153 (provocation to cause riot), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) and 505-1b (intent to cause fear to the public). Besides Sardesai and Tharoor, the FIR names journalists Paresh Nath, Anant Nath, Vinod K Jose, Mrinal Pande, and Zafar Agha.
The tweets had fake, misleading and wrong information regarding death of a tractor driver in an accident, to instigate violence amongst protestors, confirms DCP (Central) Jasmeet Singh.
— The Hindu (@the_hindu) January 30, 2021
While speaking about the case, DCP (Central Delhi) Jasmeet Singh said that the FIR was registered for creating disharmony and spreading false information on Republic Day about a farmer dying due to police firing. He added that the post-mortem report has made it clear that the protestor’s death was caused due to haemorrhage and shock, following an accident. The video footage of the incident had also gone viral on social media.
UP, MP Police lodges FIR against Shashi Tharoor, Rajdeep Sardesai
UP Police has lodged an FIR against several politicians and journalists for sharing fake news during the tractor rally in Delhi on 26th January. The FIR under the section 154 of CrPC has been lodged at the Noida sector 20 police station.
The FIR names Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, India Today journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, National Herald’s Senior consulting editor Mrinal Pandey, Quami Awaz editor Zafar Agha, Caravan magazine’s editor and founder Paresh Nath, Caravan editor Anant Nath and its executive editor Vinod K Jose, and one unnamed person. Through the FIR, charges under sections 153(A), 153(B), 295(A), 298, 506, 505(2), 124(A)/34/120(B) of the Indian Penal Code, and under section 66 of the Information Technology act.
The Madhya Pradesh Police, too, had filed an FIR against Tharoor and six others for fake news on the death of the rioter who died after his tractor turned turtle.
