New Delhi: For the first time in India’s highly competitive television news industry, whose reporters and anchors were often rushed to air stories or news that subsequently turn out to be incorrect or even fabricated, India Today has taken senior presenter and consulting editor Rajdeep off the air. Sardesai. for two weeks, citing his on-air claim and tweets by Delhi police shooting and killing a farmer during the January 26 tractor rally. The channel has also discounted a month’s salary to the presenter.
Sardesai has not commented on the issue, but well-placed sources on the channel confirmed these developments.
On January 26, farmers protesting against the three farm laws held a tractor rally led by various farmer leaders, including Rakesh Tikait, Darshan Pal, and Gurnam Singh Chaduni. Clashes broke out between police and protesters during the tractor march, with Delhi police claiming that more than 300 policemen were injured. Later, the police registered at least 37 peasant leaders in a FIR in connection with the violence during the tractor parade, as two farmers’ unions reportedly withdrew from the unrest due to the events that unfolded on the Day of the Republic.
Sardesai, in a tweet, said: “One person, Navneet, 45, was allegedly killed when the police fired at ITO. The farmers tell me: the ‘sacrifice’ will not be in vain ”. The wire had previously reported on the matter and claimed that while Delhi police had said the farmer had been killed in an accident, other protesters claimed that the farmer was shot.
Police said the farmer had died when his tractor overturned. Later, the Delhi Police released a video showing a runaway and overturned tractor. Some are still speculating whether the farmer, or his tractor, was hit by a tear gas canister that police had been firing and lost control of the vehicle.
Minutes after the police video was released, Sardesai retracted his statement, saying: “While the farm protesters claim that the Delhi police shot the late Navneet Singh while he was on a tractor, this video shows clearly the tractor overturned while trying to break through the police barricades. The accusations of the agricultural protesters do not stand. The autopsy awaited her. “
While protesters on the farm claim that Navneet Singh was shot by Delhi police while he was on a tractor, this video clearly shows that the tractor overturned while trying to break through police barricades. The accusations of the agricultural protesters do not stand. Expected post mortem. pic.twitter.com/JnuU05psgR
– Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) January 26, 2021
He also tweeted his appreciation for the police, saying they showed “great restraint” at Red Fort and ITO.
Furthermore, in his live coverage at 5:47 pm on January 26 for India Today, shortly after his tweet was written, Sardesai said: “What we do know is that while the agricultural protesters we met insist that the person who died is called Navneet Singh was shot, but the police have provided us with a video that shows very clearly that the tractor overturned ”.
However, several BJP leaders were still demanding that an FIR be filed against Sardesai or that he be fired for spreading “fake news”. In a tweet, Kapil Mishra accused him inciting attacks on the police and demanded their arrest while Amit Malviya asked for his dismissal.
The Delhi Police also presented a total of 22 FIRs in connection with the January 26 demonstration and have so far arrested about 200 people. Multiple CCTV videos and images are being scanned to identify those involved in the violence and strict action will be taken against the culprits, Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava said.
.
