New Delhi: Delhi Police on Monday arrested news website AltNews co-founder Md Zubair, triggering reactions from Opposition leaders including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who slammed the BJP government for acting against critics.
“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,” Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet.
“Altnews and Md. Zubair have been in the forefront of exposing the bogus claims of the Vishguru, who has struck back with a vengeance characteristic of him. Delhi Police, reporting to the Union Home Minister, has long lost any pretensions of professionalism and independence,” Congress’ media department head Jairam Ramesh said.
AIMIM leader Asadauddin Owaisi slammed Delhi Police for violating due processes.
“Arrest of Md. Zubair is highly condemnable. He’s been arrested with no notice and in some unknown FIR. Total violation of due process. Delhi Police does nothing about anti-Muslim genocidal slogans but acts swiftly against “crime” of reporting hate speech and countering misinformation,” said Owaisi.
Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) in a tweet condemned the arrest.
“The arrest of Md Zubair co-founder of Altnews is condemnable. He has been upstanding in exposing hate speech and toxic disinformation. Delhi police, the instrument of authoritarian actions has once again acted vindictively and lawlessly. We demand his immediate release,” the CPI-M said in a tweet.
The Delhi Police on Monday arrested AltNews co-founder Mohammad Zubair for allegedly hurting religious sentiments of a particular religion.
The police registered a case after getting a complaint from a twitter handle, wherein it was alleged that Zubair had tweeted a questionable image with a purpose to deliberately insulting the god of a particular religion, Delhi Police said.
He has booked under section 153A/295A IPC, said police.
AltNews co-founder Pratik Sinha said in a tweet Zubair was called by Special Cell of Delhi Police for investigation in a 2020 case, and was arrested in connection to some other FIR about which no information was provided. He also said no copy of the FIR was given.
“Without providing any information including a copy of the FIR or remand application in Zubair’s case, we are told that he’s to be produced before a duty magistrate at his residence in Burari. He is currently detained inside a police bus in Burari for more than an hour, ” Sinha said in a tweet around 10.19 pm.
