Mohammed Zubair Indian Police Arrest Muslim Journalist Accused Of Insulting Hindus

Malhotra said Zubair was arrested under two sections of the Indian Penal Code related to maintaining religious harmony. Zubair often criticizes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Twitter for what he and other critics claim is a crackdown on the rights of the country’s estimated 200 million Muslims. His arrest comes amid repeated accusations by critics that the BJP uses colonial-era laws to overturn all forms of criticism and encourage self-censorship. Zubair’s lawyer, Kawalpreet Kaur, said the journalist had been summoned for questioning in connection with a 2020 criminal investigation into his social media posts – which had previously granted arrest protection by the Delhi Supreme Court. . But when he responded to the call, police arrested him for a separate case, he said. Kaur showed CNN a police complaint in which a Twitter user accused Zubair of insulting Hindus to the platform in 2018, in a post about renaming a hotel a Hindu god. He accused the authorities of not following the proper procedure and of notifying Zubair. Malhotra, the deputy commissioner, did not answer CNN’s questions about whether police had followed the appropriate procedure during the arrest. Earlier this month, Zubair criticized BJP spokesman Noupur Sarma, who has been suspended, for making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad – remarks that had sparked a diplomatic row. At least 15 Muslim-majority nations have condemned Sarma’s comments, many of which have called on India’s ambassadors and described the comments as “Islamophobic”. Among Zubair’s recent posts on social media are videos claiming to show Hindu extremists making hate speech against Islam, a minority religion in India where almost 80% of people are Hindus. Zubair’s arrest has angered politicians, journalists and news organizations, who have called for his release. The Writers ‘Union of India said in a statement on Tuesday that “it is clear that Alt News’ vigilance has resented those who use misinformation as a tool to polarize society and defuse nationalist sentiments.” Shashi Tharoor, a member of India’s opposition Congress party, said the arrest was an “attack on the truth”. “India’s few fact-finding services, especially Alt News, provide a vital service to our political environment after the truth, full of misinformation,” Tharoor wrote on Twitter on Monday. “They demystify the lies of whoever commits them. The arrest (of Zubair) is an attack on the truth. It must be released immediately.” The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday called on the Indian authorities to “immediately and unconditionally release” Zubair and “to stop harassing him in retaliation for his actions”.

title: “Mohammed Zubair Indian Police Arrest Muslim Journalist Accused Of Insulting Hindus " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-13” author: “John Choi”

Malhotra said Zubair was arrested under two sections of the Indian Penal Code related to maintaining religious harmony. Zubair often criticizes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Twitter for what he and other critics claim is a crackdown on the rights of the country’s estimated 200 million Muslims. His arrest comes amid repeated accusations by critics that the BJP uses colonial-era laws to overturn all forms of criticism and encourage self-censorship. Zubair’s lawyer, Kawalpreet Kaur, said the journalist had been summoned for questioning in connection with a 2020 criminal investigation into his social media posts – which had previously granted arrest protection by the Delhi Supreme Court. . But when he responded to the call, police arrested him for a separate case, he said. Kaur showed CNN a police complaint in which a Twitter user accused Zubair of insulting Hindus to the platform in 2018, in a post about renaming a hotel a Hindu god. He accused the authorities of not following the proper procedure and of notifying Zubair. Malhotra, the deputy commissioner, did not answer CNN’s questions about whether police had followed the appropriate procedure during the arrest. Earlier this month, Zubair criticized BJP spokesman Noupur Sarma, who has been suspended, for making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad – remarks that had sparked a diplomatic row. At least 15 Muslim-majority nations have condemned Sarma’s comments, many of which have called on India’s ambassadors and described the comments as “Islamophobic”. Among Zubair’s recent posts on social media are videos claiming to show Hindu extremists making hate speech against Islam, a minority religion in India where almost 80% of people are Hindus. Zubair’s arrest has angered politicians, journalists and news organizations, who have called for his release. The Writers ‘Union of India said in a statement on Tuesday that “it is clear that Alt News’ vigilance has resented those who use misinformation as a tool to polarize society and defuse nationalist sentiments.” Shashi Tharoor, a member of India’s opposition Congress party, said the arrest was an “attack on the truth”. “India’s few fact-finding services, especially Alt News, provide a vital service to our political environment after the truth, full of misinformation,” Tharoor wrote on Twitter on Monday. “They demystify the lies of whoever commits them. The arrest (of Zubair) is an attack on the truth. It must be released immediately.” The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday called on the Indian authorities to “immediately and unconditionally release” Zubair and “to stop harassing him in retaliation for his actions”.