New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Monday arrested AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair, days after registering an FIR based on a complaint by a man, who had been tagging the Delhi Police on social media alleging that Zubair hurt his religious sentiments and legal action should be taken against him.
Mohammad Zubair is the co-founder of fact-checking website Alt News, which he founded along with former software engineer Pratik Sinha. Zubair and Sinha founded the Alt News website in 2017 to combat fake news.
An anonymous Twitter complaint, a scene from a film, and a previously unknown case are some of the reasons that have emerged so far.
Zubair was arrested on the charges of outraging religious feelings and promoting enmity between different groups. The factchecker was arrested over a 2018 tweet carrying a “questionable image with a purpose to deliberately insult the god of a particular religion,” the police said.
The image has been taken from the scene of the 1983 comedy film Kissi Se Na Kehna, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Mohammed Zubair, on 24 March 201 8, tweeted a picture of the signboard of a hotel changed from ‘Honeymoon Hotel’ to ‘Hanuman Hotel.’
“Before 2014: Honeymoon Hotel. After 2014: Hanuman Hotel. #SanskaariHotel,” he had tweeted with the above stated image .
The police has stated, “In the month of June, 2022, when Delhi Police was alerted by a twitter handle that Mohammad Zubair had earlier made an objectionable tweet and his followers/social media entities had amplified and created a series of debates/hate mongering in the tread, he was examined in this case and his role was found objectionable,”
The complaint was registered by a Twitter handle ‘@balajikijaiin’
The account, whose user(s) remain anonymous, calls itself ‘Hanuman Bhakt.’ It is based out of Rajasthan, as per its location in the bio.
The account, made in October 2021, had put out a single tweet, which appeared to be its first, on 19 June 2022, complaining that Zubair has insulted Hindus.
In response to Zubair’s 2018 tweet, the user wrote, “@DelhiPolice Linking our God Hanuman ji with Honey Moon is direct insult of Hindus because he is brahmchari @DCP_CCC_Delhi kindly take action.”
The account has posted two new tweets after Zubair’s arrest. One of the tweets raises a complaint against the other co-founder of Alt News, Pratik Sinha. Retweeting a 2019 tweet of Sinha’s on Ganesha, the anonymous user wrote, “What would you call it? This person openly hurting the religious freedom of Hindus. @DeIhiPolice @DCP_CCC_DeIhi Kindly take action.”
Meanwhile, the Editors Guild has condemned Zubair’s arrest, calling it ‘Disturbing,’ ‘Unjustifiable.’ In the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the G7 summit, where he backed free speech both online and offline, the EGI said it demands the Delhi Police should immediately release Zubair.
On the other hand Zubair’s lawyer today told a Delhi court that he’s been arrested for a 2018 tweet even when it is a screenshot from a 1983 movie cleared by the censor board. “Many have tweeted the same, the only difference between those handles and mine is my faith, my name and my profession,” lawyer Vrinda Grover said, referring to Mr Zubair being a Muslim and a journalist.
In the March 2018 tweet, Mr Zubair, one of the founders of fact-checking website Alt News, had shared an image from Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s classic ‘Kissi Se Na Kehna’. It shows a hotel signboard that reads ‘Hanuman Hotel’ in Hindi, but paint marks suggest it was earlier called ‘Honeymoon Hotel’. Mr Zubair wrote with the image, “Before 2014: Honeymoon Hotel, After 2014: Hanuman Hotel”, in what appeared to be a dig at the BJP coming to power in 2014.
Mr Zubair’s lawyer rubbished the police’s claim that he had edited the image, and said there was no basis to charges of hurting religious sentiments or promoting enmity. “This is not a place of worship. It is joke on honeymooners… The entire case borders on absurdity.”
Arguing for bail, she said the police are abusing their power. “What has happened between 2018-2022 because of this tweet?… My client is being targeted for his work. He may be challenging people who are powerful but that can’t be a reason for his harassment,” she told the court.
However Delhi Police has sought five days of custody, citing other FIRs registered against him. “This is a continuing offence,” the police’s lawyer argued, referring to a tweet in which Mr Zubair had written, “Pray to Hanuman, monkeys will not disturb you.” But his lawyer said Mr Zubair was merely reiterating a statement by a chief minister (Yogi Adityanath of Uttar Pradesh).
Founded in 2017 as a non-profit, Alt News is among the world’s most prominent fact-checking outlets. Its founders have been facing online trolling and police cases, particularly by right-wing groups, for years.
By. Nilanchal Naik
