Tractor Rally in Delhi: police book Shashi Tharoor, 6 journalists on sedition charges

India's opposition Congress lawmaker and writer Shashi Tharoor and six journalists have been booked by police on charges of sedition, among other charges, over the violence during farmers' tractor rally in Delhi on January 26, officials said.

The FIR was lodged at the sector 20 police station of Noida in Uttar Pradesh following a complaint by a resident who alleged that "digital broadcast" and "social media posts" by these people were responsible for the violence during a tractor rally by farmers in the national capital, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

The journalists named in the FIR are Mrinal Pande, Rajdeep Sardesai, Vinod Jose, Zafar Agha, Paresh Nath and Anant Nath, confirmed a senior Noida police officer. An unidentified person has also been named in the FIR.

The FIR has been lodged under Indian Penal Code sections 124A (sedition), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 120B (criminal conspiracy), among others.

They have also been booked under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act. The Noida police have begun investigation into the matter, according to officials.

Thousands of protesting farmers had turned violent and clashed with the police in Delhi during a tractor rally called on January 26 by farmer unions to press for repeal of the Indian government's three farm sector reform laws.