Note: The views and opinions expressed in blog/editorial posts are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the views or opinions of Misbar.
In 2017, Mohammed Zubair, an Indian journalist based in the southern city of Bangalore, and his fellow software engineer, Pratik Sinha, founded Alt News to counter fake news. The website has significantly exposed fake news and disinformation about religions, the class system in India, and unsubstantiated myths.
The website has published 3,000 videos that have reached 60 million views. Since its inception, Alt News became a target of the government, because of its focus on fake videos targeting the Muslim minority in India.
International newspapers described the site as a "Forensic Scientist," for its search for digital forensic evidence and the origins of anonymous photos and videos, which are used to falsify facts through social networking platforms, or even more traditional media outlets.
Zubair's work has been described as exhausting, as he spent hours examining photos and videos containing hate speech, violence, falsified facts, and propaganda. He recently started supervising a new project documenting hate speech.
Recently, Zubair highlighted the ruling party’s spokeswoman Nupur Sharma's insulting statements regarding the Prophet Muhammad, which made him spend days between jail and courts. The police transferred him to a remote town on the India-Nepal border for interrogations and brought new charges against him.
Indian websites indicated that the Delhi police arrested Zubair on June 27, because of a tweet he posted in 2018, on charges of "insulting Indian beliefs." Then new charges that were brought against him include “criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence, and receiving money from foreign parties."
On Friday, the Supreme Court granted him a temporary release for four days, after finding out that he had received death threats. In court, Zubair said that he was arrested because of his work and because he was a Muslim.
Described as a determined and persistent man, Zubair is also very active on Twitter. With over half a million followers, Zubair is frequently harassed by accounts whose owners identify themselves as "Hindu nationalists."
Zubair’s arrest was criticized by opponents, activists, as well as Indian and international newspapers. They believe Zubair to be a target of prosecution because of his unrelenting denouncement of religious extremists and instigators of hatred.
Those against his arrest also highlight the timing of his arrest, which happened concurrently with a famous tweet, in which he drew attention to Sharma's statements in a television debate in mid-May.
Sharma's statements angered Muslims and put the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in a difficult diplomatic position, as many Muslim countries protested against the offensive remarks.
Zubair was arrested by Indian police over what they said was a four-year-old tweet in which he commented on a sign in a hotel that had been changed from "Honeymoon" Hotel to "Hanuman Hotel."
The complaint came from an anonymous Twitter account called Hanuman Bhakt, meaning "monkey god worshiper," who described Zubair's comment as a "direct insult" to Hindus.
The anonymous account set up in October did not have many followers when the complaint was reported. The account was closed immediately after being reported, then reopened, and now has 1,600 followers.
Alt News Website
Alt News has played a major role in busting myths and fake news videos about the spread of COVID-19 as a global conspiracy.
The website has also remained at the forefront of validating societal and sectarian allegations published on social media, highlighting hate speech by Hindu "Rishis" at a recent gathering in Haridwar.
The website also explicitly identified the individuals who run the Hindu far-right website Dainik Bharat.
A report published by Alt News in June 2017, stated that the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs used a photo of the Spanish Moroccan border to claim that it had installed floodlights on the border of India, which led to an attack on the ministry online.
Targeting of Journalists on the Rise in India
India's ranking dropped eight places to the 150th out of 180 countries in this year's Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders.
"Indian journalists who are highly critical of the government are subjected to massive harassment and offensive campaigns," Reporters Without Borders said in its 2022 index, adding that reporters are "regularly exposed to police violence and increased retaliation by officials."
Zubair's arrest comes two days after human rights lawyer and activist Teesta Setalvad was arrested by the Gujarat Police counter-terrorism wing. Setalvad was arrested for alleged “forgery and fabrication of evidence,” in a case relating to the 2002 riots against Muslims in Gujarat.
Translated by Jehan Batrawi
Misbar’s Sources:
Misbar
BBC
BBC
Outlookindia
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