FIR filed against news anchor Anjana Om Kashyap over remarks on Maharishi Valmiki

October 11, 2025

The FIR was filed based on a complaint by Chaudhary Yashpal, national convener of Bharatiya Valmiki Dharma Samaj Bhavdas, whose president is Vijay Danav.

According to the FIR, Kashyap used “inappropriate” language while talking about Maharishi Valmiki during a TV show, which aired on the channel’s official social media pages on Tuesday.

The complaint cited in the FIR states, “These statements have deeply hurt the sentiments of the entire Valmiki community and an FIR should be registered before this matter becomes a law and order issue.” The complaint also cites a Supreme Court judgment, which claims to have upheld the sanctity and goodness of Lord Valmiki.

Chaudhary Yashpal has stated that the community wants Kashyap arrested. He said, “We will not rest until the accused are behind bars. We have called upon our community to unite on this issue.”

Complaint Details and Legal Grounds

The FIR has been registered under Section 299 of the Indian Penal Code (BNS), 2023 (punishment for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class of citizens by insulting their religion or religious beliefs by words, either spoken or written, signs, visual representations or electronic means).

The FIR also mentions Section 3(1)(V) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, which deals with the land rights of these communities.

Maharishi Valmiki was a renowned poet who composed the Ramayana. He is also known as ‘Adi Kavi,’ meaning the first poet. His followers are called ‘Valmikis’ and are counted among the major Dalit communities.

The complaint relates to Kashyap’s Black and White show, broadcast on Tuesday (October 7), which discussed the recent incident of a lawyer throwing a shoe at Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai.

What were alleged remarks ?

In her show – which is still available on YouTube – Kashyap also mentions Maharishi Valmiki, saying that his real name was Ratnakar and that he earned money by robbing people early in his life. She also says that Valmiki had a change of heart after meeting Narada Muni and became a devotee of Lord Rama. She says this story taught an important lesson: that even a moment of self-realization and introspection can change the life of even the most wicked person.

However, Yashpal maintains that the stories related to Valmiki’s life are not historically true.

He said, “So many stories related to the lives of great men become part of folklore. There is no evidence of their truth. Why did the anchor feel the need to tell such a baseless story about a person we consider our God?”

It is noteworthy that earlier in September, a Lucknow court ordered a case to be registered against Anjana Om Kashyap.

In that case, a petition filed by former IPS officer Amitabh Thakur alleged that a program broadcast on August 14 was divisive, inflammatory, and against national unity, attempting to create enmity between two communities.