On 15th June, an FIR was registered against popular journalist Ajeet Bharti at High Grounds Police Station in Bengaluru based on the complaint of one BK Bopanna, lawyer and secretary of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee’s legal cell. The complaint alleged that Bharti falsely claimed that Rahul Gandhi intended to restore the Babri Masjid in place of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
The FIR was registered under Sections 153A and 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). A man associated with Congress, Shantanu stated that similar FIRs are being filed in many other states including Telangana. The FIR against Ajeet Bharti came days after an FIR was registered against an X user named Befittingfacts over flimsy grounds.
#Breaking: An FIR has been registered against Ajeet Bharti in Bengaluru for spreading fake communal propaganda using the name of Rahul Gandhi Ji under sections 153A and 505 (2) of IPC 1860.
— Shantanu (@shaandelhite) June 16, 2024
Today more FIRs will be done in Telangana and other states. pic.twitter.com/svGaIE3RPm
In his complaint, Bopanna accused Bharti of making false claims against Rahul Gandhi in a video. He claimed that Bharti’s statement spread false information with the “intent to provoke dissent and hatred among various religious groups” and was aimed to “disturb public peace and incite disorder”. He further claimed that Bharti’s behaviour promoted public mischief and incited communities against each other “sowing seeds of discord and hatred among various religious communities” that would lead to disruption of peace and harmony in the society.
Alt News’ Zubair created a vicious narrative against Ajeet Bharti
It is pertinent to note that it was Alt News’ Mohammed Zubair who first targeted Ajeet Bharti over the video. Zubair, who is notorious for sharing trimmed videos to set a narrative, shared a 40-second clip of Ajeet Bharti which was trimmed from a long video. While sharing the video, Zubair wrote, “When did Rahul Gandhi say in any of his speeches that Ram Mandir will be removed and he would bring back Babri Masjid? They repeatedly spread disinformation because they know they are protected by BJP and the opposition will not take any action against them.”
Click here to read the truth behind Ajeet Bharti’s statement on Rahul Gandhi.
The Congress and I.N.D.I. alliance governments have been continuously trying to hound journalists. From Punjab to Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Karnataka, there has been a marked trend of I.N.D.I. alliance governments oppressing critical voices, particularly journalists.
Congress’ state government in Rajasthan had initiated legal action against Aman Chopra
Under the tenure of the Congress government, several cases were filed against journalists in Rajasthan. One such case was filed against Aman Chopra. Aman Chopra is a journalist with the News18 India channel. He was targeted over the show titled ‘Desh Jhukne Nahin Denge’ and an FIR was lodged against him for a post on his Twitter account. Despite the state High Court’s order directing that no coercive action should be taken against the journalist in these FIRs, at least 10 Rajasthan police officials had assembled outside his residence in Noida to arrest him.
Crackdown against social media activists in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu’s ruling party DMK, a key ally of Congress in the I.N.D.I. alliance, has consistently taken coercive action against journalists and social media activists critical of the government. The case of Bihar’s YouTuber Manish Kashyap gained significant attention. The Tamil Nadu Police had invoked stringent NSA charges against him, resulting in him languishing in jail for several months. Later, the court acquitted him in all cases.
YouTuber persecuted in Tamil Nadu
A shocking case of YouTuber Suvukku Shankar being brutally assaulted came to light last month. His lawyer claimed that the YouTuber was blindfolded and assaulted with pipes inside Coimbatore jail. He was arrested by the Tamil Nadu Police on 4th May 2024 in a cybercrime case. His lawyer Gopalakrishnan stated that the jail staff at Coimbatore Central Jail assaulted him. It was reported that after being sent to judicial custody, he suffered a fracture in his right hand, and proper medical treatment was not made available to him. He was arrested from Theni and a case of inappropriate comments on female constables was registered against him.
Felix Gerald, the editor of the YouTube channel Red Pix, was arrested in Uttar Pradesh
On 10th May, Trichy district cyber crime police arrested YouTuber Felix Gerald of Red Pix from Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Gerald was arrested for interviewing popular YouTuber Savukku Shankar who was earlier arrested for allegedly speaking against senior police officers and a female police personnel. It was claimed that Shankar spoke in an objectionable manner about the officials.
A day after Savukku’s arrest, Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) chief Seeman questioned whether Tamil Nadu was still a democratic state or if it had turned into a fascist state. Seeman stated that the charges against Gerald and the false cases filed against Savukku Shankar should be immediately withdrawn.
Lambasting the DMK government led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, the NTK Chief had said, “It is against the law to arrest the interviewer (anchor) of the programme in which Shankar made those objectionable statements. It is unacceptable to arrest the anchor for the comments made by the guest. It is akin to burying freedom of speech and expression of the media.” Savukku had cornered the Tamil Nadu government in his show, after which both of them were arrested.
Punjab Police had arrested Tajinder Bagga from Delhi and took him away
It should be noted that the Punjab Police filed an FIR against BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga. The Punjab Police even conducted a raid in Delhi to apprehend him. They took action against Bagga twice. In 2022 and 2023, the Punjab Police attempted to arrest Bagga, and in one instance, they arrested him in Delhi and took him to Punjab.
