On Monday, Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair was arrested by the special cell of Delhi Police on the charges of hurting religious sentiments and promoting enmity. Zubair was arrested under sections 153A and 295 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Zubair’s arrest came days after several Hinduphobic posts from his Facebook account had gone viral. After a Twitter user shared his old posts mocking Hindu Gods, Zubair deleted his Facebook account. Expectedly after his arrest, the Left ‘liberal’ faces ganged up justifying Zubair’s Hinduphobia as if it is a fundamental right. An array of politicians, journalists, and political commentators have put out tweets in support of Mohammed Zubair, some even calling out his arrest a blow to fundamental rights.
One of the politicians to suffer heartburn after Zubair’s arrest was AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi. Owaisi, as he usually does, brought a ‘Muslim angle’ to the case by asking why Delhi Police does nothing about anti-Muslim genocidal slogans being raised. To be noted, it was Zubair himself, who a few weeks ago shared an out-of-context clip of Nupur Sharma’s comments on Prophet Mohammed that led to Islamists all over the world issuing death threats to her.
Arrest of @zoo_bear is highly condemnable. He’s been arrested with no notice & in some unknown FIR. Total violation of due process. @DelhiPolice does nothing about anti-Muslim genocidal slogans but acts swiftly against “crime” of reporting hate speech & countering misinformation
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) June 27, 2022
TMC MP Derek O’Brien went as far as referring to regular fake news peddler Zubair as ‘one of the world’s finest journalists’. The TMC leader lauded the alleged fact-checker for exposing BJP’s ‘Fake-news factory’ every single day. At the same time, he tagged PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah by calling them ‘cowards’.
Strongly condemn the arrest of one of the world’s finest journalists @zoo_bear who exposes the BJP’s #FakeNews factory every single day.
— Derek O’Brien | ডেরেক ও’ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) June 27, 2022
PM @narendramodi and @AmitShah for the all power you wield, you are essentially COWARDS.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor condemned Zubair’s arrest while referring to Zubair’s Fact-checking cum narrative factory as “a vital service in our post-truth political environment, rife with disinformation.” “They debunk falsehoods whoever perpetrates them,” Tharoor said while calling Zubair’s arrest an ‘attack on truth’.
India’s few fact-checking services, especially @AltNews, perform a vital service in our post-truth political environment, rife with disinformation. They debunk falsehoods whoever perpetrates them. To arrest @zoo_bear is an assault on truth. He should be released immediately.
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) June 27, 2022
Islamist outfit, the Tipu Sultan Party, applied the ‘secular’ logic demanding ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s arrest because Mohammed Zubair has been arrested. In their tweet, the party asked if arresting Zubair was a justice of secular law.
Why is Delhi Police not arresting Nupur Sharma?
— Tipu Sultan Party ٹیپو سلطان پارٹی (@TSP4India) June 28, 2022
Arresting Zubair is a justice of secular law ?#ReleaseZubair
Support from Journalists and Writers
An Islamist journalist from the leftist propaganda outlet The Wire, Arfa Khanum Sherwani, called Mohammed Zubair a 'frontline democracy defender in India'. "His fact-checking was puncturing BJP’s propaganda on a daily basis. The arrest of Zubair is an attack on truth and free press in India," she wrote on Twitter.
Jouranlist Mohammed Zubair is a frontline democracy defender in India.
— Arfa Khanum Sherwani (@khanumarfa) June 27, 2022
His fact-checking was puncturing BJP’s propaganda on a daily basis.
The arrest of Zubair is an attack on truth and free press in India.
If @zoo_bear is in jail, none of us is free.
In one of the Twitter Spaces conducted to mourn Mohammed Zubair's arrest attended by senior journalists, a Twitter user expressing support for Zubair, pondered how long would PM Modi live.
Modi hate mai itne pagal ho gaye hai ye Liberandus ab Modiji ke Zinda rehne pe bhi inhe chid hone lagi hai.
— CIGGY (@ChaseMasterV_K) June 28, 2022
"Saheb Ki Humra Pata Nahi Kaise itni lambi hote ja rahi hai itne budape mai bhi" jaisi baate bolni pad rhi inhe ab🤡 pic.twitter.com/aJhOSx89FP
Unhinged glorification of Zubair as a 'journalist' came from many quarters of the Left. A journalist who writes for Al Jazeera, Rohin Kumar, called Zubair 'the Finest fact-checker in India'. He hailed the Alt-News co-founder for his alleged 'massive contribution to Indian Journalism'.
Zubair is THE finest fact-checker in India. Numerous times authorities themselves have relied on his fact checks to maintain law & order situation in their constituencies.
— Rohin Kumar (@rohinverma2410) June 27, 2022
Zindabad @zoo_bear for your massive contribution to Indian Journalism.
I stand with Zubair.
Another journalist working for The Quint, Fatima Khan wrote "Zubair is the finest journalist of our times. Hanging my head in shame, and rage."
Zubair is the finest journalist of our times. Hanging my head in shame, and rage. #IStandWithZubair
— Fatima Khan (@khanthefatima) June 27, 2022
Upon Zubair's arrest, the Delhi police informed, "The said post of Mohd. Zubair containing picture & words against a particular religious community are highly provocative & done deliberately which are more than sufficient to incite hatred among people, which can be detrimental for maintenance of public tranquillity."
