Journalist Ajit Anjum, whose YouTube series covers Bihar's electoral roll revision, is accused by Begusarai authorities of "spreading communal tensions." Anjum denies this, sharing an FIR screenshot, as the local administration issued a release against his reporting
-1752513893960_d.png "Journalist Ajit Anjum accused of inciting communal tensions over Bihar electoral roll reports")
File Photo.
Noted journalist Ajit Anjum, whose YouTube channel is running a series on the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, has been accused by the local administration of "spreading communal tensions" in Begusarai district. Anjum has denied the allegation and shared a screenshot of an FIR lodged against him.
The Begusarai collectorate issued a release on Sunday against Anjum, who has roots in the district and has been reporting from various locations over the past few days.
The release took exception to a "45 minutes 39 seconds long video" uploaded on his YouTube channel after Anjum and his camerapersons interviewed several individuals in the Ballia sub-division. Anjum and his associates have been accused of "targeting members of a particular community" and conducting their work in a manner that could "trigger communal tensions." The release further stated that Anjum and his team "shall be solely responsible for any unrest that erupts in Ballia sub-division as a result of their video feature."
However, the release did not mention any legal action initiated against the journalist, who began freelancing after heading several leading Hindi news channels.
Meanwhile, Anjum himself has shared on his X handle a screenshot of an FIR lodged against him at the Ballia police station. This FIR is based on a written complaint from a booth level officer (BLO). The complainant, Mohd Asrarul Haq, one of the BLOs for the Sahibpur Kamal assembly segment, alleged that during their interaction, Anjum, "with a view to spreading communal hatred," had tried to "falsely create an impression that Muslim voters in the area were being harassed."
In his post on X, Anjum denied the allegation and challenged the Election Commission to conduct a "fact-check" and prove any of his reports wrong. He alleged that the NDA government had "made a Muslim BLO its pawn in its move against me." Officials in the local police and administration have remained tight-lipped regarding the FIR, which was lodged under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita and the Representation of People Act.
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