- Monday, May 05, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
MOHAMMED Zubair, a journalist and one of the founders of Indian fact-checking website Alt News, was arrested by the Delhi Police on Monday (27) on charges of hurting religious sentiments and encouraging enmity.
The case is based on a complaint made by Twitter handle @balajikijaiin this month, which alleged that Zubair had tweeted a “questionable” image to “deliberately insult the god of a particular religion”, India’s NDTV quoted the police as saying.
Zubair had posted that tweet in March 2018.
Speaking on the arrest of Zubair, Alt News co-founder Pratik Sinha said the former was called to Delhi for questioning in a separate case in which he was given protection by the court against arrest. But Zubair, he said, was arrested in a new case without mandatory notice, NDTV added.
“No FIR copy is being given to us despite repeated requests,” he was quoted as saying.
He also tweeted about his colleague’s arrest and said he was being taken to an undisclosed location and while he and others were with him, the police personnel accompanying them were not wearing any tag.
After the medical examination, Zubair is being taken to an undisclosed location. Neither Zubair’s lawyers or I are being told where. We are in the police van with him. No police person is wearing any name tag.
— Pratik Sinha (@free_thinker) June 27, 2022
Please note. pic.twitter.com/gMmassggbx
— Pratik Sinha (@free_thinker) June 27, 2022
The police said that the journalist was arrested “after having sufficient evidence on record”.
Zubair was still being questioned and the police were set to produce him before a magistrate on Tuesday (28) to seek his further custody.
Alt News is one of the world’s most prominent fact-checking outlets which was founded in 2017. Its founders have been facing online wrath of right-wing groups and police cases for years now.
The news of Zubair’s arrest spread like wildfire and the opposition slammed the Narendra Modi government.
Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was recently grilled by the Enforcement Directorate over a number of days in connection to a corruption case, said in a tweet, “Arresting one voice of truth will only give rise to a thousand more.”
Every person exposing BJP's hate, bigotry and lies is a threat to them.
Arresting one voice of truth will only give rise to a thousand more.
Truth ALWAYS triumphs over tyranny. #DaroMat pic.twitter.com/hIUuxfvq6s
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 27, 2022
Congress parliamentarian and former minister Shashi Tharoor called Zubair’s arrest an “assault on truth” and sought his release.
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
Jairam Ramesh, another Congress parliamentarian, accused the Delhi Police of acting in a vengeful manner.
Lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan, who is also a critic of the Modi government, told NDTV, “This government is going after those who are exposing hate speech.”
