Police complaint against Wall Street Journal for spreading 'communal tension'

New Delhi, Feb 28
A police complaint has been filed with the Delhi Police as well as the Maharashtra Police against the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) for "defaming a particular religion and spreading communal tension" by "misreporting" on the Delhi riots and the killing of IB staffer Ankit Sharma.

The complaint was filed over a news item published in the WSJ on February 26 which reported that Sharma's killers shouted 'Jai Shri Ram', quoting the IB staffer's brother Ankur Sharma, who, however, denied making such a statement to the American media outlet.

"Police complaints filed against The Wall Street Journal @WSJ with @DelhiPolice & Maharashtra Police for 'defaming particular religion & spreading communal tension' with respect to alleged misreporting on #DelhiViolence & murder of IB official Ankit Sharma," national broadcaster Prasar Bharti said in a tweet.

The WSJ report said: "Mr Sharma was returning home when a group of rioters started throwing stones and charged into the street near where his house is located, his brother said."

Quoting IB staffer's brother, the report then said: "They came armed with stones, rods, knives and even swords; they shouted 'Jai Shri Ram'..."

As per Prasar Bharati, Ankur Sharma told them that he "never gave such a statement to the Wall Street Journal".

In conversation with Prasar Bharati, he discredited WSJ report, saying: "I never gave such a statement to the Wall Street Journal. This is a ploy to defame my brother and my family. The Wall Street Journal is lying."

Ankit Sharma's family reportedly blames Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain for the IB officer's death. The Delhi Police on Thursday registered a case of rioting and murder against Hussain. The AAP leader was subsequently suspended from the party's primary membership.

The IB employee's body was recovered from a canal in Chand Bagh area in North-East Delhi, the epicentre of the riot. The autopsy reported that he was stabbed multiple times.