Bengaluru, 5 August

The Press Trust of India (PTI), one of India's largest and premier news agencies, has issued a formal apology to Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge after admitting that it misinterpreted his remarks on the controversy surrounding the Civil Police Constable recruitment examination, withdrawing an earlier report that sparked widespread political backlash.

In a letter addressed to Kharge, PTI acknowledged that the error stemmed from a "human error" in interpreting his statement. The agency wrote:

"We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and distress caused to you. The statement was misinterpreted due to a human error. We have withdrawn the post and taken corrective measures to prevent such incidents in future."

The controversy arose after protests by candidates over alleged irregularities in the Civil Police Constable recruitment examination. The BJP had demanded Kharge's resignation, accusing him of insensitivity towards the protesting aspirants after PTI reported that he had said:

"I will resign, but first let the aspirants go on a 25-day hunger strike, lathi-charge them, and then I will resign, just as they did after the NEET paper leak."

The report triggered outrage on social media and sharp criticism from the BJP, with several leaders accusing the Home Minister of mocking students demanding justice.

However, Kharge maintained that his remarks had been completely misrepresented. According to him, he was not referring to the police recruitment aspirants at all. Instead, his comments were aimed at the BJP leaders demanding his resignation. He clarified that the word "aspirants" was never used by him and that his remarks were directed at the BJP, drawing a political comparison with the prolonged protests and police action witnessed during the NEET paper leak controversy.

Following PTI's clarification, Kharge accepted the apology but said it could not undo the damage already caused. He argued that by the time the correction was issued, the original report had been widely circulated by political leaders, television channels and social media users.

"The damage is already done. The misinformation has spread everywhere. Who is accountable for that?" Kharge asked, adding that a correction issued after the story had gone viral could not erase its impact. He also stressed that media organisations must exercise greater responsibility while reporting sensitive political statements.

The episode has reignited debate over the consequences of inaccurate reporting in the age of social media, where even brief errors can rapidly shape public perception before corrections reach a similar audience.