Haveri: In a developing controversy, a case has been registered at the Savanur police station against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya for allegedly spreading misinformation regarding a young farmer’s suicide. Surya, along with the editors of Kannada Dunia and Kannada News e-papers, has been accused of sharing false claims about the farmer’s death, which they attributed to “trouble over Waqf Board property.”
According to reports by Kannada Dunia and Kannada News, a farmer named Rudrappa from Haranagi village in Haveri district allegedly took his own life due to distress over issues with Waqf property. Tejasvi Surya purportedly shared the story on his X (formerly Twitter) account, stating, “Tragedies like these are occurring daily in Karnataka due to CM Siddaramaiah’s and Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmed’s minority appeasement policies.”
However, Haveri district police quickly issued a fact-check on their X account, debunking the claims. The police clarified that Rudrappa’s suicide was not related to Waqf property concerns but rather to severe crop loss. According to the Superintendent of Police, the farmer had been distressed after his crop, cultivated through a large loan, was destroyed by rain. “The police investigation revealed that Rudrappa’s distress was over loan repayment following the crop damage. A report was submitted to the Tahsildar, and the government has provided Rs 5 lakh compensation to the family,” the SP stated.
In response to the police clarification, Tejasvi Surya deleted his post. Nonetheless, FIRs have now been registered against him and the editors of the Kannada Dunia and Kannada News e-papers for allegedly disseminating false information. The complaint, filed by Sunil Huchhanavar, underscores the potential impact of misinformation, especially in sensitive cases involving rural distress.
