Controversial Claims: Karnataka Farmer's Suicide Sparks Political Row

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya faces an FIR for wrongly claiming a farmer's suicide was due to Waqf board land claims. The post has been deleted, with authorities clarifying loan stress and crop loss as the cause. The issue coincides with ongoing disputes over Waqf land designations in Karnataka.

The Haveri Police in Karnataka have filed an FIR against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya for making false claims about a farmer's suicide linked to land confiscation by the Waqf board. Surya had claimed that Rudrappa Channappa Balikai died by suicide after losing his land to Waqf and blamed the Chief Minister for the situation, sparking political outrage.

The MP's post, which cited a Kannada news report, was subsequently deleted. Authorities, including the Haveri Superintendent of Police, clarified that the reported cause of the suicide was incorrect and attributed it to financial stress from loans and crop losses.

Meanwhile, the Waqf land issue in Karnataka remains heated, with BJP leaders alleging unauthorized land record changes. A fact-finding report is expected in the winter Parliament session. State officials have been instructed to halt and withdraw any contested Waqf-related notifications issued to farmers.

(With inputs from agencies.)