New Delhi : Co-founder of fact-checking portal Alt News, Mohammed Zubair, was arrested over a tweet dating back to four years. The journalist is accused of flaring communal passions.
The tweet in question was a scene from 1983 Hrishikesh Mukherjee Hindi film “Kissi Se Na Kehna” . It carries the image of a hotel signboard that’s repainted to read “Hanuman Hotel” instead of “ Honeymoon Hotel” titled “After 2014” and :Before 2014” respectively. The tweet according to Zubair was intended to reflect on changed times with coming of the Modi govt.
A Twitter handle that goes by the name of “Hanuman Bhakt” tagged Delhi Police on tweet, complaining that “linking our God Hanumanji with Honeymoon is a direct insult to Hindus because he is a brahmachari’ and urged to take action against Zubair.
Zubair’s tweet, according to Delhi Police, was call for communal rioting by hurting religious sentiments. The journalist has been booked under IPC sections 153A(promoting enmity) and 295A(deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings).
Arresting Subair alone over an old tweet that scores of people shared shows BJP’s targeting of Subair given that, BJP leaders - including Nupur Sharma - accused for blasphemous remarks on Prophet Muhammad, continue to enjoy police protection.
