Alt News cofounder Mohammed Zubair, who has a history of peddling communally charged narratives and fake news, was once again caught in the act when the Indore Police debunked a sinister narrative spread by him about crackers thrown inside a mosque.
The Indore Police put paid to the conspiracy theories hatched to shield Islamists who ran riot in the Mhow area of the city as celebrations erupted after India’s victory against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy Final. The procession celebrating India’s victory came under attack as it passed through Jama Masjid, where a mob from the Masjid started pelting stones at the attendees.
According to Dainik Bhaskar, those celebrating the victory chanted Jai Shri Ram – resulting in the Muslims of the area turning irate and attacking the procession. According to a PTI report, the procession came under attack as it approached Jama Masjid.
Videos of the incident that emerged have since indicated that slogans of Allahu Akbar and Naara-e-Taqbeer were raised before the Muslim mob started pelting stones.
Zubair furthers lies peddled by the Imam of the Jama Masjid
As soon as news of the violence surfaced, propagandists like Mohammad Zubair and several other Islamists, as if on cue, started working overtime to blame Hindus for violence initiated by the Muslims. Initially, Mohammad Zubair attempted to exonerate the Muslims rioters by claiming that firecrackers outside the Jama Masjid and chants of Jai Shri Ram “provoked” the Muslims to initiate violence.
Subsequently, Zubair leaned on the claims made by the Imam of Jama Masjid that Hindus provoked the riots by hurling firecrackers inside the mosque. It is worth noting that the Imam of Jama Masjid had already admitted that it was the Muslims who started the violence by attempting to lynch Hindus who were chanting Jai Shri Ram during the cricket victory celebration.
Perhaps in an attempt to understate the role of Muslims in instigating the ensuing violence, the Imam claimed members of his community were triggered after firecrackers were thrown inside the mosque.
Self-described fact-checker Mohammed Zubair, notorious for selectively fact-checking incidents that reinforce his leftist agenda, lapped up the claims to shield Islamists and pin the blame for the violence on Hindus. Zubair quoted the Imam to claim firecrackers were thrown inside the mosque and the stone pelting took place in the presence of police.
Asif Mujtaba, the co-conspirator of Sharjeel Imam, one of the Islamists who orchestrated the onslaught against Hindus during the Delhi anti-Hindu riots of 2020 took to X (formerly Twitter) to claim that even “celebration was a tool to demean Muslims” because according to him, Hindus resorted to “communal sloganeering” outside a mosque.
Another handle, ‘Hate Detectors’ which regularly spews venom against Hindus and blames Hindus for the violence committed by Islamists claimed that the clash erupted because Hindus raised “derogatory slogans” and burst firecrackers, disrupting prayers of Muslims inside the Jama Masjid.
Indore police debunk false claims of ‘firecrackers hurled inside mosque’
However, Indore police officials busted the communally charged-up fake news furthered by the likes of the Imam and Zubair. In a report published by The Print, ASP Dwivedi is quoted as saying that the police are yet to recover evidence that proves firecrackers were thrown inside the mosque.
The officer also added that they have scoured the CCTV footage from the area, but so far evidence to prove firecrackers were hurled inside the mosque didn’t emerge.
