DMK Lok Sabha MP K Kanimozhi condemned the action and said it was an attempt to silence those who fight fearlessly against the divisive powers.
Published Nov 28, 2024 | 10:55 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 28, 2024 | 1:30 PM
Mohammed Zubair.
Following the Uttar Pradesh police filing an affidavit in the Allahabad High Court that AltNews Co-founder Mohammed Zubair “endangered the sovereignty and unity of India”, leaders of Opposition INDIA bloc came in support of the journalist.
In an FIR filed against Zubair for sharing a video clip of controversial priest Yati Narsinghanad on X, the police added Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the law concerning endangering India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity.
The FIR was filed following a complaint from supporters of Yati Narsinghanand, the priest of Dasna Devi Temple in Ghaziabad.
DMK Lok Sabha MP K Kanimozhi condemned the action and said it was an attempt to silence those who fight fearlessly against the divisive powers.
“The UP police filed an affidavit to the Allahabad High Court, accusing fact-checking website ‘Alt News’ co-founder Mohammed Zubair of ‘endangering the sovereignty and unity of India’,” she wrote on X.
“This is an attempt to silence those who fight fearlessly against the divisive powers. The section BNS 152 invoked in this case is an example of how the law is misused systematically to suppress independent media and generally against people who dare to disagree,” she added.
“I strongly condemn this and urge all who believe in free speech to raise their voices against the intimidation towards independent journalism,” Kanimozhi said.
The UP police filed an affidavit to the Allahabad High Court, accusing fact-checking website ‘Alt News’ co-founder Mohammed Zubair of “endangering the sovereignty and unity of India.”
This is an attempt to silence those who fight fearlessly against the divisive powers. The…
— Kanimozhi (கனிமொழி) (@KanimozhiDMK) November 28, 2024
Lok Sabha MP and former IAS officer Sasikanth Senthil said it was a blatant misuse of the law
“The UP police have accused @zoo_bear, co-founder of @AltNews, of “endangering India’s sovereignty and unity” in an affidavit to the Allahabad High Court. This FIR is a blatant misuse of law to silence dissent and intimidate independent media. Targeting a fact-checker for exposing hate speech highlights a disturbing erosion of democratic values. When truth-telling is branded treason, democracy is under threat,” he wrote on X.
“This isn’t just about Zubair, it’s about protecting the freedom to question, expose, and speak truth to power. Let’s unite against this assault on free speech and support those defending justice and accountability,” the Congress leader added.
The UP police have accused @zoo_bear, co-founder of @AltNews, of “endangering India’s sovereignty and unity” in an affidavit to the Allahabad High Court.
This FIR is a blatant misuse of law to silence dissent and intimidate independent media. Targeting a fact-checker for… https://t.co/kGSikHztJp
— Sasikanth Senthil (@s_kanth) November 28, 2024
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said it was shameful.
“A sedition charge for fact checking, only in India. This is shameful,” she wrote on X.
A sedition charge for fact checking, only in India.
This is shameful. https://t.co/WjcXbVZHRO— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) November 28, 2024
Zubair had filed a petition in the High Court seeking protection from arrest, arguing that his post on X was intended to highlight communal hate speech by Narsinghanand.
The post was a response to Narsinghanand’s controversial remarks about Prophet Muhammad.
In his petition, Zubair contended that the FIR against him was malicious, aiming to obstruct his work exposing communal hate speech.
In his social media posts, Zubair emphasised that the FIR was part of a concerted effort to target him for exposing the hate speech and criminal activities of Narsinghanand, who has been charged multiple times for inciting communal violence.
The FIR filed by Udita Tyagi, General Secretary of the Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Foundation, accused Zubair of sharing a video clip of Narsinghanand with the intent to incite violence.
The Ghaziabad Police charged Zubair with various sections of the BNS, including promoting religious enmity, fabricating false evidence, and outraging religious feelings.
According to Bar and Bench, Zubair’s legal team argued that the case is politically motivated, with the aim of silencing his criticism of Narsinghanand and other individuals involved in promoting hate.
The case has drawn attention due to the controversial application of Section 152 of the BNS, which is seen as a modern version of colonial-era sedition laws. Critics fear that such laws are being misused to suppress dissent and stifle free speech.
Pratik Sinha, co-founder of Alt News, voiced strong concerns over the weaponisation of this law, calling it an attempt to intimidate journalists and independent media organisations.
In a statement on X, Sinha expressed solidarity with Zubair, asserting that this case is part of a broader effort to silence those challenging misinformation and hate speech in India.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
