The Karnataka government has filed a First Information Report (FIR) against BJP National Youth President and MLA Tejasvi Surya for sharing a social media post alleging a farmer's suicide due to land acquisition by the Waqf Board. The FIR, filed by the Cybercrime, Economic Offences, Narcotics (CEN) police in Haveri district, cites the post as false news and a criminal offense. The case was registered under Section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023.

The FIR stems from a report published by Kannada Duniya and Kannada News e-Paper, which claimed an eight-year-old suicide in Hanaragi village, Haveri district, was linked to the Waqf Board taking over the farmer's land.  The report alleged the farmer, Rudrappa, died after his four acres of land were shown as Waqf property in land records. However, the FIR asserts this claim is false and constitutes a crime.

The case has also been registered against the Editors of Kannada Duniya e-paper and Kannada News e-Paper.  The FIR quotes Tejasvi Surya's social media statement, which attributed the alleged suicide to "appeasement of minorities" by Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Minister Zameer Khan.

This development comes amidst heightened tensions surrounding land claims by the Waqf Board in Karnataka.  Tejasvi Surya, who also serves as a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, has been receiving petitions from farmers across the state claiming their land is being claimed by the Board. The JPC, headed by Jagdambika Pal, is currently reviewing the Waqf Act of 1995.  The JPC Chairperson visited Hubballi, Vijayapura, and Belagavi on Thursday to understand farmers' concerns, as requested by Tejasvi Surya.

Surya has criticized the Karnataka Minority Affairs and Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan for conducting "Waqf Adalats," calling them unconstitutional and outside the purview of Revenue Department rules.  He links the rise in land claims by the Waqf Board to the ongoing JPC deliberations on the Waqf Amendment Bill.