Case against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya over false claim linked to farmer’s suicide

An FIR has been registered against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and editors of two Kannada news portals for allegedly sharing false information that a farmer’s suicide was linked to a Waqf land issue.
Surya, in a now-deleted post on X, claimed that a farmer in Karnataka’s Haveri district, identified as Rudrappa Channappa Balikai, died by suicide after his land was reportedly “taken over” by the Waqf board. Surya also accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan of causing distress amongst farmers in the state through “catastrophic effects.”
The FIR was filed after the Haveri Superintendent of Police clarified that the farmer’s suicide, which took place in January 2022, was due to loan burdens and crop loss rather than land ownership issues. Police stated that the case was already closed after a final report under Section 174 CrPC, which deals with the procedure for investigating unnatural deaths, was submitted.
Editors of Kannada Duniya E-Paper and Kannada News E-Paper also face charges for publishing a headline implying the farmer’s suicide was due to a Waqf land entry in his records. The news article alleged that farmers in Haveri were protesting against Waqf notices, reportedly causing mental distress to Rudrappa.
Responding to the case, Surya stated that he would refrain from relying on the source that provided the information. He attributed the widespread anxiety over recent Waqf conversion notices to farmers as a reason for initially believing the report. The incident has heightened focus on Waqf land issues, with BJP leaders calling for a review of land designations and reportedly questioning the involvement of certain officials in land reclassification.
This incident comes amid rising tensions over Waqf land issues across Karnataka, as Joint Parliamentary Committee Chairman Jagdambika Pal recently visited several districts with Tejasvi Surya to meet with concerned farmers. Pal has announced that a fact-finding report on Waqf properties will be presented in the winter session of Parliament. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has directed officials to cease issuing new Waqf notices to farmers and to withdraw existing notices where applicable.