Hours after India Today put its fake news editor off-air for two weeks over spreading fake news during the Tractor Rally riots, he has reportedly quit the channel.
Rajdeep, in all public view, was found guilty of spreading fake news with regards to the Tractor Rally that went violent.
On Republic Day, during the Tractor Rally that turned violent, he claimed that one protestor named Navneet Singh was shot in the head by Delhi Police and died due to bullet injuries.
In fact, Navneet was crushed to death underneath his speeding tractor as he tried to break the barricade. The tractor overturned after crashing i9nto the police barricade.
Rajdeep was reportedly taken off-air by India Today and also faced a one-month salary cut. Sources reportedly claimed that Rajdeep could not digest the big humiliation, and decided to quit.
Even if this is confirmed, is that enough? Rajdeep has a history of spreading fake news.
Can anyone forget his role in inciting riots in Gujarat? In 2017, Rajdeep and his wife Sagarika Ghose had made attempts to ignite communal passions by spreading fake news, saying that Yogi Adityanath approved of killing and raping dead Muslim women.
This was challenged by many people and several cases were filed against the couple. However, they quickly distanced themselves from their scurrilous statements to avoid prosecution.
These are a couple of instances of Rajdeep’s fakery. He has however been involved in this ugly act on several occasions and has gone scot-free. But, this time, he must not be spared. He must be arrested for inciting riots and creating disaffection, against public servants doing their duty.
An example has to be set to curb this menace of inciting riots and violence as a professional license.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi should introduce laws with strict imprisonment provisions along with permanent termination of employment across all media houses when journalists are found to peddle fake news in an attempt to stoke riots.
Also, it is up to the people to come out in the open and hold peaceful public rallies against these fake news channels and journalists.
These rallies will certainly tame these fake news-mongers who aspire to a Capitol Hill-type violence in our Parliament in the coming days and blame the Modi government as the bloody liberals did blame Donald Trump for the crime which they perpetrated.
These evil journalists should be nipped in the bud as quickly as possible.