Delhi Police Arrests Alt News Co-Founder Mohammed Zubair

Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair was arrested by Delhi Police on Monday, 27 June, under IPC Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence language and doing acts pre judicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295A (deliberate and malicious act, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religious beliefs).

Zubair was summoned by Delhi Police for questioning in connection with one case but was then booked in a different case, Alt News co-founder Pratik Sinha tweeted.

The fact-checker has been under attack from right-wing groups for calling out hate speech by Yati Narsinghanand, Mahant Bajrang Muni and Anand Swaroop.

Previously, Uttar Pradesh Police had booked Zubair for calling three Hindutva supremacists “hate mongers” in a tweet. This is not the first time he is subject to legal harassment. In the past two years, this is the sixth FIR filed against him.

He was summoned from Bengaluru by Delhi Police Special Cell for investigation in a 2020 case for which he had taken protection against arrest from the high court. However, the journalist has been arrested in another case, for which the police did not even provide an FIR as they are legally required to do and although he repeatedly requested them to provide one.

A press release by the Police said that “the conduct of Zubair was found questionable which wanted his custodial interrogation to unravel the competency in the conspiracy in the matter.”

DIGIPUB, an organisation of digital news media organisations has condemned the arrest of Zubair in the strongest possible terms.

“In a democracy, where every individual person possesses the right to exercise the freedom of speech and expression. It is unjustifiable that such stringent laws are being used as tools against journalists who have been accorded the role of playing watchdog against the misuse of institutions of the state,” the organisation said in a press release.

Showing solidarity with the Although News Cofounder, DIGIPUB urged the Delhi police to withdraw the case immediately. “The use of such stringent laws being used as a tool against journalists, who are considered the fourth pillar of democracy must be stopped. We stand firmly with Zubair.”