BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and editors of news portal booked for 'false claims' of farmer suicide

An FIR has been lodged against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and editors of two Kannada news portals for allegedly spreading false information linking a farmer’s suicide to a Waqf land dispute. Surya, in a since-deleted post on He further accused Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Affairs Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan of causing widespread unrest among farmers through what he described as ‘catastrophic consequences’.

The FIR was filed following a clarification from the Haveri Superintendent of Police, who stated that Balikai’s suicide in January 2022 was not related to any land dispute, as reported by India Today. However, he stated that Balikai’s suicide was due to debt burden and crop failure.

In a post on X, SP Haveri confirmed the facts by stating: “The news shared is false. No such incident has been reported. The farmer mentioned here, Rudrappa Channappa Balikai, was reported on 01-06-2022 and it was reported to be a suicide case. due to lending and crop loss. Case was registered as 174 CrPC in Adur PS. The final report had already been submitted.”

The #HaveriPolice station inside #Karnataka registered an FIR against the Bharatiya Janata Party (#BJP) Member of Parliament #TejasviSurya over a false claim that a farmer in the district committed suicide after his land was requisitioned #WaqfBoard.

According to the FIR registered on Thursday, Tejasvi… pic.twitter.com/p2rIYb2iPg

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) November 8, 2024

Reacting to the tweet, Surya said, “Thanks for the information. The tweet will be deleted. I will henceforth not rely on the news agency that reported the tweet. Considering the large number of WAQF conversion notices to thousands of farmers in the state, there is one is easily led to believe such results.”