Uttar Pradesh police arrested Mohammed Zubair, a leading Indian fact-checker and co-founder of the website AltNews, accusing him of “endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.” Many Indians and rights groups expressed concerns and called for Zubair's release over press freedom issues.
Indian Police Arrest Top Fact-Checker for Uncovering Hate Speech by Hindu Priest
After his release on bail in 2022, the co-founder of the fact-checking website AltNews, Mohammed Zubair, is back in court. On Tuesday, the Allahabad High Court briefly reviewed his petition in a new case as Uttar Pradesh police arrested him.
Police filed a case against Zubair after Uditya Tyagi, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician and close aide of the priest, lodged a complaint.
Initially, Zubair faced relatively milder charges, including promoting enmity between religious groups, defamation, and giving false evidence. However, last week, police escalated the case by adding Section 152 of India’s new legal code, accusing him of “endangering sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India.”
The charge carries a potential conviction of at least seven years in jail, a fine, or even life imprisonment.
Zubair denies all accusations against him. “I feel I’m being targeted because of the work I do,” Zubair told BBC.
During Tuesday's hearing, the judges left the case to be assigned to another court in the coming days.
According to reports, police arrested Zubair over a post he shared on X highlighting hate speech by controversial Hindu priest Yati Narsinghanand.
Posted on October 3, the video showed Narsinghanand making remarks about Prophet Muhammad that many Muslims found offensive.
Narsinghanand, head of the influential Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, repeatedly sparked outrage for openly advocating violence against Muslims. In 2022, police arrested him over Islamophobic and misogynistic comments and spent a month in jail.
A day after Zubair's post spotlighted the priest's Islamophobic remarks, Muslims protested outside the temple. Police reported the arrest of 10 individuals accused of stone-pelting during the demonstration, according to PTI.
Rights Organizations Criticize the Draconian Charge Against Zubair
Zubair defends himself by pointing out that he was not the only one to share Narsinghanand’s remarks, noting that several journalists, politicians, and media outlets had posted the video before him.
“Police have registered a case against me based on complaints from the followers of a man who routinely gives hate speeches. And they are going after someone who's reporting hate speeches, while people giving hate speeches are going free,” he says.
He described the move as “an attempt to gag people trying to hold the government to account.”
Rights organizations and journalist groups in India criticized the charge against Zubair. They argued that Section 152 is a “new version” of the colonial-era sedition law.
Amnesty International India condemned the case against Zubair, calling it an example of how the law can be misused “to harass, intimidate, and persecute human rights defenders, activists, journalists, students, filmmakers, singers, actors, and writers for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression.”
Digipub, an association of digital media organizations, denounced the “escalating harassment” of Zubair, labeling the allegations as “unfounded.”
The Press Club of India also criticized the move, demanding the withdrawal of the case. “All sane minds have been opposing this section as it has potential to silence the free thinkers and media. It can also be imposed against those who are critical of dispensation,” the club stated.
Police Arrested Zubair Previously Over Similar Charges
The government arrested Zubair in 2022 and jailed him for three weeks before the Supreme Court granted him bail.
Delhi police had detained him over a 2018 tweet, accusing him of “insulting Hindu religious beliefs.”
Uttar Pradesh police later filed additional cases against him, including allegations of criminal conspiracy and receiving foreign funds.
BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia accused Zubair of being “selective and politically biased” in his fact-checking.
International rights groups and the United Nations expressed concern at the time, with a spokesperson for U.N. chief Antonio Guterres stating, “Journalists should not be jailed for what they write, tweet, and say.”
Critics argue that authorities are precisely using such measures to target Zubair and other journalists.
According to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), India’s ranking on the Global Press Freedom Index has been steadily declining, currently standing at 159 out of 180 countries.
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