Bhubaneswar: The Karnataka police have registered an FIR against Aaj Tak anchor Sudhir Chaudhary for “conspiring to disrupt communal harmony” in a show hosted by him in which he talked about the state government’s commercial vehicle subsidy scheme. An official of the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation had complained that Chaudhary was promoting enmity between groups. Accordingly, Chaudhary was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
In the show, Chaudhary had allegedly claimed that subsidies were being provided only to minorities in Karnataka and not to Hindus, said the FIR. “The show claimed that the scheme meted injustice to poor Hindus in the state” and “conspired to disturb communal harmony,” it added.
While Chaudhary is accused number one in the case, the chief editor and the organiser of Aaj Tak are accused number two and three respectively, The Indian Express reported.
After the show was aired on the channel on September 11, the Karnataka government threatened legal action against the anchor for deliberately spreading misinformation on government schemes. The scheme offered subsidies for members of the minority community to buy commercial vehicles.
Earlier, reacting to an advertisement published in a newspaper about the scheme, BJP MPs alleged that it highlighted ‘minority appeasement’ under Congress rule.
