FIR Filed Against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya

An FIR has been lodged against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and editors of two Kannada news portals for allegedly sharing inaccurate information that a farmer’s suicide in Karnataka was tied to a Waqf land dispute.

Surya, in a now-deleted post on X, claimed that a farmer, Rudrappa Channappa Balikai from Haveri district, ended his life after his land was allegedly "taken over" by the Waqf board. He also suggested that actions by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan were causing severe stress among farmers.

Following this, the Haveri Superintendent of Police clarified that the farmer’s suicide, which occurred in January 2022, was due to debt and crop failure—not land ownership issues. A final police report under Section 174 CrPC, related to investigating unnatural deaths, had already been filed, officially closing the case.

Editors of Kannada Duniya E-Paper and Kannada News E-Paper also face charges for headlines implying that Waqf land claims led to the farmer’s distress and eventual suicide. The article suggested protests by local farmers against Waqf land notices were mentally distressing to Rudrappa.

Responding to the FIR, Surya stated he would be cautious about his sources going forward, explaining he initially believed the report due to ongoing concerns about recent Waqf notices impacting farmers. The controversy has heightened attention on Waqf land policies, with BJP leaders calling for a reassessment of land classifications.

As tensions over Waqf land claims grow in Karnataka, Joint Parliamentary Committee Chairman Jagdambika Pal, alongside Surya, recently visited several districts to meet with concerned farmers. Pal announced plans to present a fact-finding report on Waqf properties in the upcoming winter Parliament session. In response, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has instructed officials to pause issuing new Waqf notices to farmers and review existing ones.