Latest news with #AjitAnjum
Scroll.in
a day ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Journalist Ajit Anjum booked for video about Bihar voter roll revision
Journalist Ajit Anjum was booked for allegedly interfering in the Bihar voter roll revision process and for allegedly provoking communal discord, Newslaundry reported. A first information report was filed against Anjum under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the 1951 Representation of Peoples Act after he visited a polling booth in Bihar's Ballia on Saturday, The Indian Express reported. In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Anjum had claimed that he had found irregularities in the electoral process, with several enumeration forms at the booth not having photos of the applicants and others that had been partially filled or not having signatures. Anjum's YouTube channel has 75 lakh subscribers. He was booked under sections pertaining to criminal trespass, disobeying a lawful order, preventing a public servant from doing their duty and hurting religious sentiments, The Indian Express reported. The FIR against Anjum was filed based on a complaint by a booth-level officer named Mohammed Ansrarul Haque. The Begusarai district administration alleged that Anjum, his associates and cameraperson had made unauthorised videos of the voter roll revision process. 'In the video, the YouTuber identified people of a particular caste by forcefully checking sensitive documents of a particular polling station and false propaganda was spread about the possibility of incomplete documents and fake signatures,' the administration alleged. Anjum on Monday said that a Muslim block-level officer was 'being used as a scapegoat ' against him. 'Instead of addressing the questions raised in the video, the administration is resorting to intimidation tactics,' Anjum said on social media. 'All I'm saying is that I'm right here in Begusarai. If needed, I will fight up to the Supreme Court. I won't be scared.' The Digipub News India Foundation, an association of independent digital news organisations and journalists, said that the FIR against Anjum was a direct assault on independent journalism. The 'vague allegations' against Anjum were neither credible nor reason enough for an FIR, the news association said in a statement. 'Instead of addressing those legitimate questions, the Election Commission, through this FIR, has attempted to intimidate not just him but all independent journalists who dare to report from the ground,' it added.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Journalist Ajit Anjum booked for ‘interfering' in Bihar electoral roll revision, police say
A senior journalist has been booked on charges of interfering with Bihar's electoral roll revision and provoking communal discord, police said Monday. Ajit Anjum, an award-winning journalist, was booked under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and The Representation of Peoples Act, 1951, after he visited a poll booth in Balia on July 12. Anjum, who runs a YouTube channel, claims to have found several enumeration forms at the booth – some without photos, and others partially filled or without signatures. On a complaint from a booth level officer (BLO), Mohammed Ansrarul Haque, Anjum was booked under sections such as criminal trespass, disobeying a lawful order, preventing a public servant from doing their duty and attempting to hurt religious feelings of the BNS, as well as sections of the Representation of Peoples Act. The complainant said in the FIR: 'I, Mohammad Ansarul Haq, BLO Part No. 16145, Sahibpur Kamal Assembly constituency, was uploading counting forms from the BLO App at the Block Auditorium in Ballia on July 12, 2025. Around 9:30 am, YouTuber Ajit Anjum, his associates, and cameraman entered the auditorium without authorisation and started questioning me about the number of voters in my booth, how many forms I had distributed, and how many I had received back.' The complaint also claims that the persons asked about the number of Muslim voters and how many had their submitted papers. 'I informed them that my booth has 1,020 voters, and I had distributed forms to all and received them back. However, the YouTuber's focus was on the claim that Muslim voters were being harassed, which was completely false. The YouTuber and his team did not allow me to work for an hour, causing significant disruption to my work. Therefore, I request that action be taken against YouTuber Ajit Anjum and his associates for obstructing government work and spreading communal discord,' it said. Anjum, however, stood by his claim, saying his news report had been 'fair and unbiased'. 'I, as a conscious journalist, had shown how the Election Commission of India's rules were not being followed. I have not revealed the identity of anyone, nor have I shown any close shots of the enumeration forms. Rather than taking action against its own official they lodged an FIR against me. But I'm not one to be cowed down,' he said.
The Wire
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
Journalist and YouTuber Ajit Anjum Booked Over His Video on Bihar SIR; Digipub Condemns
The Begusarai district administration, in a statement, dismissed the claims of irregularities in Anjum's reportage, calling it 'baseless' and 'misleading'. The FIR was registered on July 13 at the Ballia police station in connection to a video on his YouTube channel on July 12, in which Anjum had alleged large-scale irregularities in the voter list in the Sahebpur Kamal assembly constituency. The video showed how the SIR process was being undertaken in Balia and claimed that many voter forms were being filled and uploaded without the Election Commission's required documents or photographs. The district administration, in a statement released on platform X, dismissed these claims and called it 'baseless' and 'misleading'. It also alleged that the video was intended to 'incite public sentiment'. According to a report by Newslaundry, the FIR was filed based on a complaint by booth-level officer Mohammad Ansarulhaq, who alleged that Ajit Anjum and his colleagues met him while he was uploading data using the BLO app and began asking questions about Muslim voters in the area. Earlier in the day, Ajit Anjum had posted on X that he did not receive a copy of the FIR said to have been filed against him. 'I'm getting information about an FIR being filed against me in Begusarai, Bihar. I have not received a copy of the FIR. I am waiting,' he said. He also wrote about the video in question and alleged that he had been coerced to delete the video to which he refused. 'Two days ago, I reported irregularities in the forms being filled for 'SIR' in Ballia block. I was called by the local BDO and SDO, asking me to delete the video. I did not listen to them. The result is evident,' he said. 'There are a hundred questions about the Election Commission's methods in Bihar. Instead of answering those questions, efforts have now begun to intimidate journalists. In this video, I have presented my side. I will not be scared. I will show only the truth. I will report on the shortcomings,' he added. 'I am waiting for official information about the FIR. I came to Begusarai from Kishanganj last night so that the administration does not face much trouble in searching for me,' he further added. बिहार के बेगूसराय में मेरे खिलाफ FIR किए जाने की जानकारी आ रही है . FIR की कॉपी मुझे नहीं मिली है . मैं इंतज़ार कर रहा हूं. दो दिन पहले मैंने बलिया प्रखंड में ' SIR ' के लिए भरे जा रहे FORM में अनियमितता की रिपोर्टिंग की थी . मुझे स्थानीय BDO और SDO की तरफ से कॉल करके वीडियो… — Ajit Anjum (@ajitanjum) July 14, 2025 Digipub condemns FIR Meanwhile, Digipub, a coalition of digital media organisations and independent journalists, has strongly condemned the FIR filed against the journalist calling it a 'direct assault' on independent journalism. In a statement, the journalists' body said, 'DIGIPUB News India Foundation strongly condemns the FIR filed against independent senior journalist and YouTuber Ajit Anjum in Begusarai, Bihar and demands that the FIR be immediately withdrawn.' 'This FIR is not just an attack on an individual journalist-it is a direct assault on independent journalism and the public's right to know the truth. While reporting from the ground on the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) process in Begusarai, Ajit Anjum highlighted exactly what the people on the ground shared with him. According to him, he was trying to bring out the facts related to SIR. However, this honest effort appears to have displeased the govement and administration,' the statement read. It also pointed to the press release that the Begurasai district administration had issued prior to the FIR, calling Anjum's reportage 'misleading'. 'These vague allegations are neither credible nor reason enough for an FIR. Either authorities should learn to provide accurate and factual information to journalists' queries or step aside when journalists find information on their own with no cooperation from a democratic machinery that should be providing transparency but seldom does. 'Ajit Anjum had also raised concerns about violations of the Election Commission's guidelines in Bihar-something that falls well within the responsibilities of a journalist, not a criminal offense. Instead of addressing those legitimate questions, the Election Commission, through this FIR, has attempted to intimidate not just him but all independent journalists who dare to report from the ground,' Digipub stated. The body said that the action appears to be a 'systematic and deliberate attempt to silence the press and suppress inconvenient truths' and asserted that it was an attack on press freedom and a threat to democratic values and the constitutional right to free expression. 'This FIR, in our view, is nothing but a cover-up for institutional failures, and we strongly oppose it. We stand in solidarity with Ajit Anjum and with every journalist who has the courage to speak the truth,' it asserted. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
