The Uttar Pradesh police have issued a warrant for Alt News cofounder Mohammed Zubair, hours after the Supreme Court granted him interim bail in another case registered in UP’s Sitapur. Zubair is accused of promoting enmity between two religious groups through a tweet he made last year.
Last year, a case had been registered against the fact-checker at Mohammadi police station. According to the News Minute, the case was filed by Ashish Kumar Katiyar, who is associated with Sudarshan News. Katiyar had accused Zubair of spreading false news on Twitter to disturb communal harmony.
Katiyar reportedly took objection to a tweet in which Zubair had pointed out that Sudarshan News used images of Al Masjid an Nabawi from Madina and superimposed it on an old picture from Ghaza, with graphics bombing the mosque, during a broadcast.
RW propaganda channel @SudarshanNewsTV has used a pic of Al Masjid an Nabawi from Madina, superimposed it with an old pic from Ghaza, with graphics bombing the Mosque.
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) May 15, 2021
Is this reporting or trying to incite violence. Hope @Uppolice @noidapolice @dgpup takes action. pic.twitter.com/CE4BnGtT5k
The FIR names Zubair and Twitter Inc and Twitter Communication as accused. It states that Zubair allegedly appealed to Muslims to unite and that many people shared his post to spread anti-national sentiments, the News Minute reported. It also says the tweet spreads hate which can lead to a war-like situation in the country.
Zubair has been charged under 153A of the Indian Penal Code. A court in Lakhimpur Kheri summoned the journalist on July 11.
Notably, the new warrant comes after Zubair was slapped with a case which objected to a tweet he made in 2018. The Alt News fact-checker has been in judicial custody since June 27. A special cell of the Delhi police had summoned him in connection with a 2020 case. However, when he appeared before the police, Zubair was arrested for a different case lodged by an anonymous Twitter handle called Hanuman Bhakt.
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