IB Officer Ankit Sharma (Rahul Pandita/Twitter)Police complaints have been filed against Wall Street Journal (WSJ) for spreading “fake news” of a Jai Shri Ram-chanting mob killing Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma in Delhi’s Chand Bagh, Prasar Bharti has reported.
The police complaints were submitted to the Delhi police and the Maharashtra police on 28 February.
The cyber complaint with the Maharashtra police has been filed by activist group Legal Rights Observatory which has demanded that the false claims be immediately withdrawn with an apology.
In a report titled, “India’s Ruling Party, Government Slammed Over Delhi Violence” WSJ had quoted the brother of Ankit Saxena as, “they came armed with stones, rods, knifes and even swords; they shouted Jai Shri Ram; some even wore helmets”.
Soon after the publication of the report, many on social media called out WSJ by pointing out that no other publication had quoted him as blaming “Jai Shri Ram” chanting goons and he had instead claimed that AAP leader Tahir Hussain’s people were behind the killing.
Ankit Sharma’s brother Ankur while speaking with Prasar Bharti denied that he ever gave such a statement, “I never gave such a statement to Wall Street Journal. This is a ploy to defame my brother and my family. Wall Street Journal is lying”.
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