BJP national spokesperson Rajyavardhan Rathore, a TV news anchor, and others were named in a FIR filed on Saturday night in Jaipur for allegedly spreading false information by altering Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remark in Kerala to make it seem as though it was made in reference to the murder of the Udaipur tailor.
According to IPC sections 504 (intentional insult), 505 (criminal intimidation), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on the basis of religion, race, place of birth, etc.), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), and 120B, the FIR was filed in response to a complaint made by local Congress leader Ram Singh at the Banpark police station (criminal conspiracy).
After Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan, criticised the channel for the same, the occurrence happened shortly after.
The complaint claimed that Zee News host Rohit Ranjan had maliciously altered a statement made by Mr. Gandhi regarding the SFI assault against his Wayanad office to make it appear as though it was made in reference to the horrible murder of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur.
The former Union minister Mr. Rathore, retired Major Surendra Poonia, and Kamlesh Saini, he alleged, conspired with the media organisation to release the video clip on Twitter in order to gain political advantage and stir up public sentiment.
The complainant alleged in the FIR that “the anchor and the promoters of the TV channel were obviously aware that what Gandhi mentioned was for the youngsters in Wayanad and not the killers of Kanhaiya Lal.”
However, the channel has apologised, with Mr. Ranjan stating that “Yesterday, in our show DNA, Rahul Gandhi’s statement was taken in the wrong context by relating it to the Udaipur event; it was a human error for which our team apologises.”
Chief Minister Gehlot criticised the channel earlier in the day for airing the false news.
“Gandhi had said that the children who did this (vandalised his office in Wayanad)… they’ve acted in an irresponsible way. They are kids, forgive them. But the TV channel and the anchor ran that Rahul Gandhi was saying those who killed Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur were kids and should be forgiven,” Mr Gehlot said.
At a meeting on the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project with party MLAs and community members from 13 districts, Mr. Gehlot was addressing.
The Chenab Times News Desk