Alt News co-founder and fact-checker Mohammad Zubair has been booked by the Khairabad police, Uttar Pradesh, for using the word “hatemonger” while addressing Hindutva leaders – Narasinghanand, Mahant Bajrang Muni and Anand Swaroop – in a tweet.
The FIR was registered on Wednesday when a Rashtriya Hindu Sher Sena member, Bhagwan Shara, filed a complaint under 295 A of the Indian Penal Code (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and Section 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of Information Technology Act. 2000.
On May 27, Zubair shared a video clip from the prime time show hosted by Navika Kumar, Group Editor of Times Now where she takes no stand when the Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma makes continuous derogatory and extremely violent statements against Prophet Mohammad.
Zubair had criticized Navika as well as Vineet Jain, the executive director of Times Now for allowing such statements on prime time television which are being watched by thousands of citizens across the country.
The FIR against Zubair that refers to hardcore right-wing leader Bajrang Muni as “honourable” states that the journalist was inciting Muslims to “murder” Hindu leaders.
On April 2, Mahant Bajrang Muni, priest of the Badi Sangat Ashram in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district, called for rape violence against Muslim women in the presence of the police on the occasion of the Hindu new year.
Yati Narasinghanand, Bajrang Muni and Anand Swaroop have been giving hate speeches for a long time but no action has been taken against them. In December last year, in an event called ‘Dharam Sansad‘ Yati had called for mass genocide against the Muslim community.
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