India Today takes Rajdeep Sardesai off air, deducts one month salary
By Asianet Newsable English | First Published Jan 28, 2021, 8:01 PM ISTThe decision was taken after Rajdeep Sardesai incorrectly reported that a farmer had been killed in police firing on January 26.
Television news channel India Today has taken its senior anchor and consulting editor Rajdeep Sardesai off the air for two weeks for misreporting on a farmer's death during the tractor rally in New Delhi.
The channel has also deducted one month's salary from the anchor.
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After reports of farmer Navneet losing his life during the violence in Delhi, Rajdeep had taken to Twitter to claim that the 45-year-old had been allegedly killed in police firing.
He went to claim that the farmers had told him that 'sacrifice' will not go in vain.
He also allegedly repeated the claim on-air.
A clip of the India Today coverage showed Rajdeep telling channel reporter Ankit Tyagi, "There is a dead body, which was shown to me of an individual who is allegedly Navneet Singh, 24 years old, was reportedly driving the tractor, comes from Western UP, and because he has been shot in the head... suffered a bullet injury which has resulted in his death."
However, after facts and CCTV footage emerged on the circumstances leading to Navneet's death, Rajdeep deleted the Twitter post and sent another post saying that "while the farm protestors claimed that the deceased Navneet Singh was shot at by Delhi police while on a tractor, the video clearly shows that the tractor overturned while trying to break the police barricades".
But the clarification came a little late for Rajdeep who, by then, was trending on social media with many netizens seeking action on the senior anchor for allegedly peddling "fake news".
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