Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair arrested by Delhi police

The Delhi police on Monday arrested fact-checking website Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair in an alleged case of promoting enmity among religious groups..In a statement, the Delhi police said it registered a case after getting a complaint from a Twitter handle alleging Zubair had tweeted a questionable image with the intention to deliberately insult the God of a particular religion..“Such tweets were getting retweeted and it appeared that there is a brigade of social media entities, who indulge in insult mongering thereby leading to a possible ramification on communal harmony and is overall against the maintenance of public tranquility,” it said..According to the police, Zubair had on Monday joined the investigation in an FIR from 2020 registered by the Delhi police’s special cell.During investigation of the said FIR, Delhi Police had given a status report before the High Court saying Zubair’s tweet was not found to be objectionable.However, another tweet from 2018 was flagged to Delhi Police. .Today's arrest came pursuant to that.“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 thread, he was examined in this case, i.e., FIR no. 172/22 under Sections 153A/295 IPC and his role was found objectionable. He was evasive on the questions and neither provided the necessary technical equipment for the purpose of the investigation nor cooperated in the investigation.”.While Section 153A deals with the offence of 'promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony', Section 295 deals with 'injuring or defiling place of worship, with intent to insult the religion of any class'.Stating that Zubair’s conduct was “questionable”, the police claimed that the same warranted his custodial interrogation to “unravel the conspiracy in this matter” and he was accordingly arrested..Alt news co-founder Pratik Sinha in a tweet said, "Without providing any information including a copy of the FIR or remand application in Zubair’s case, we are told that he’s to be produced before a duty magistrate at his residence in Burari. He is currently detained inside a police bus in Burari for more than an hour.".Sinha also tweeted that Zubair was called by the Delhi police Special Cell for its investigation in a a 2020 case for which he had protection from arrest from the Delhi High Court.“However, today at around 6.45 pm we were told he has been arrested in some other FIR for which no notice was given which is mandatory under law for the Sections under which he has been arrested. Nor FIR copy is being given to us despite repeated requests," it read..Zubiar has been taken to the residence of a Burari Magistrate for police remand. .Breaking: Delhi HC directs no coercive action against Alt News' Mohammed Zubair in FIR for allegedly threatening minor girl on Twitter