An FIR dated July 13 has been registered against independent journalist Ajit Anjum in Bihar’s Begusarai district, wherein he has been booked on charges of interfering with Bihar’s electoral roll revision, provoking communal discord and spreading misinformation regarding the ongoing process.
He was booked under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Representation of People Act, 1951. He visited a poll booth in Balia on July 12, where he claims to have found several enumeration forms at the booth, based on which he alleged large-scale irregularities in the voter list in the Sahebpur Kamal assembly constituency.
A video uploaded by him on his YouTube channel showed how the special intensive revision (SIR) process was being undertaken in Balia. In the video, one can see that voter forms are being filled and uploaded without the required documents or photographs.
A booth level officer (BLO), Mohammed Ansrarul Haque, filed an FIR against Anjum, alleging him of criminal trespass, disobeying a lawful order, preventing a public servant from doing their duty and attempting to hurt religious feelings.
In his FIR, Ansrarul mentioned that Anjum and his associates entered the election premises without authorisation and asked him about the number of voters in his booth, the number of forms he had distributed, and how many he had received back.
“I informed them that my booth has 1,020 voters, where the forms have been distributed to all and were received back. However, the YouTuber’s focus was on the claim that Muslim voters were being harassed, which was completely false”, Ansrarul’s comment mentioned in the FIR.
He further stated, “The YouTuber and his team did not allow me to work for at least an hour, causing significant disruption to my work. Therefore, I request that action should be taken against YouTuber Ajit Anjum and his associates for obstructing government work and spreading communal discord.”
Earlier in the day, Ajit Anjum had posted on X that he was not notified of any FIR. “I’m getting information that an FIR has been filed against me in Begusarai, Bihar. I have not received a copy, I am waiting,” Anjum said.
“Two days ago, I reported irregularities in the forms being filled for ‘SIR’ in Ballia block. I was called by the local Block Development Officer (BDO) and Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), asking me to delete the video. I did not listen to them. The result is evident,” he added.
Anjum further went on to say that there are innumerable questions about the Election processes in Bihar. Instead of answering those questions, efforts have now begun to intimidate journalists.
He stood by his claim of of his reporting the being “fair and unbiased”. He emphasised that he will not be scared and will continue to report on shortcomings of the whole situation.
Ajit Anjum is a Ramnath Goenka award-winning journalist. He has served as the managing editor at News 24 and India TV news channels. Lately, he started pursuing independent journalism and left the mainstream media.
