Media association DIGIPUB has condemned the Uttar Pradesh police’s action against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, calling the FIR filed over his social media posts an “escalating harassment” and demanding its revocation.
Zubair was booked on October 8 over his X post featuring a video clip of controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand. The FIR was lodged by the Ghaziabad police over a complaint by Udita Tyagi, general secretary of Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Trust, in which she accused Zubair of provoking the Muslim community against the self-styled godman.
DIGIPUB’s statement came a day after the police informed the Allahabad High Court that it has added a new charge against Zubair for “endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India”.
The video posted by Zubair, purportedly captured at an event held at Ghaziabad’s Lohiya Nagar on September 29, allegedly showed Narsinghanand calling for the end of Islam.
The fact-checker was already booked under BNS sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 228 (fabricating false evidence), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 356(3) (defamation) and 351(2) (punishment for criminal intimidation).
DIGIPUB’s Statement Condemning Police Action Against Fact Checker Mohammad Zubair pic.twitter.com/IiFchs1h1H
— DIGIPUB News India Foundation (@DigipubIndia) November 28, 2024
Alt News last night also issued a statement saying it stands with Zubair. It said the affidavit was “yet another example of how state machinery is being used to intimidate individuals and organizations committed to exposing hate and misinformation”.
Alt News stands with Mohammed Zubair pic.twitter.com/kpVhN0io04
— Alt News (@AltNews) November 27, 2024
DIGIPUB said that the UP police have invoked Section 152 of the Bharat Nayaya Sanhita, “the new avatar of the ‘sedition’ clause of the Indian Penal Code, which has been used repeatedly to target and silence journalists and critics of the ruling party and its allies”. It called the charges against Zubair “unfounded”, “vindictive” and “unreasonable over-reach by agencies of the state”.
It said that invocation of grave sections like Section 152 of the BNS and Section 66 of the IT Act “almost two months after the FIR was registered based on a complaint from a private citizen shows that the escalating police action is deliberate and vindictive”.
It questioned whether the UP government intends to file police cases “against journalists that highlight hate mongers and hate speeches against minorities”.
On being asked about the grave charges against Zubair in the FIR, Kavi Nagar ACP Abhishek Srivastava told Newslaundry, “This is a matter of investigation. We cannot give you any information.”
Speaking to Newslaundry, complainant Udita Tyagi alleged that Zubair’s post led to attacks on Dasna Devi temple on the night of October 4. “The video has been edited and posted. I have also said this in my statement to the police. They should investigate the video.”
It’s not the first FIR against Zubair. Here’s a look at some cases that illustrate the Alt News cofounder’s role in flagging hate speech online.
The Dasna priest, Yati Narsinghanand, on the other hand, has repeatedly courted controversy for his hate speeches despite multiple FIRs against him. To know more about his ecosystem of hate, read this.
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