It was a bad day for Times of India as they have declared a wrong ‘Jha’ dead. As per a TOI report, the rebel leader of Janata Dal (United) died of Covid-19 infection in Bihar. They reported that Jha died of Covid in AIIMS, Patna. The report also included a photograph of Sanjay Jha. However, things took a worse turn for the newspaper when Sanjay Jha came forward on social media and declared that he is alive.
He tweeted, “Dear Times Of India, मैं तो जिंदा हूँ। (I am alive). Your wrong story declaring me dead has pained my family, friends and supporters. Please issue an immediate clarification across your online and print platforms and ensure your reporters/desk do their jobs with diligence.”
https://twitter.com/SanjayJhaBihar/status/1325322748982276096?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwDouble error by Rajasthan based media house
Sadly, the Times of India is not the only news agency that published the report without fact-checking about who died. A regional media house named First India News Rajasthan also made a similar mistake, added with another grave error. in a now-deleted post, they reported that the rebel leader of JD(U) Sanjay Jha died, and with that, they used the photograph of ex-Congress leader Sanjay Jha.
https://twitter.com/snehasneha173/status/1325385689223974913?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwNews 18 also published a report alleging Sanjay Jha from Bihar had died.
Things were not different for India TV as they reported the same name.
Independent candidate Neeraj Jha died
Unfortunately, a leader had died of Covid. Neeraj Jha, an independent candidate from Benpatti, lost his life while fighting coronavirus infection. He started to feel ill on the day of nomination but took medicines and continued his election campaigns. After his health deteriorated further, he was tested for Covid-19 and was found positive. He was admitted to Madhubani and later shifted to AIIMS Patna, where he died due to complications associated with Covid-19. Jha was associated with Congress before joining JD(U) in 2012.