Newslaundry had reported earlier that Sharma was taken off-air from ABP News for a news bulletin. On his show Aaj Ki Badi Khabar, he had read out “breaking news” of a shootout in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur district, where three gangsters had opened fire on a businessman. Sharma had said, “Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi kal Lucknow mein the, vyapariyon ko sambodhit kar rahe the. Uska maqsad ye tha ki bade paimane par vyapari aaen Lucknow-Uttar Pradesh nivesh karein … ye sawal uthna lajmi hai ki apradhmukt kab hoga Uttar Pradesh (Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Lucknow yesterday and addressed the business community. He wanted businessmen to invest in Lucknow and Uttar Pradesh … In a situation like this, it is a pertinent question to ask, when will Uttar Pradesh become crime-free?)”