Priyank Kanoongo, the chairperson of the commission has taken to Twitter, to inform that according to the action taken report (ATR) received by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, an FIR has been lodged against AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair under stringent POCSO Act for online harassment of girl child.
He also informed that as per the request made by Twitter India, an additional time of 10 days has been provided to them to provide relevant information.
According to the ATR received in @NCPCR_ ,an FIR has been lodged against the alleged persons for threatening and torturing a girl child on @Twitter.
— प्रियंक कानूनगो Priyank Kanoongo (@KanoongoPriyank) September 5, 2020
As per the request made by @TwitterIndia an additional time of 10 days has been provided to them to provide relevant information. pic.twitter.com/RLhXvzBUs8
Along with the AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair, Twitter user going by the handle @de_real_mak and @syedsarwar- Zubair’s supporters who had hurled a barrage of abuses at the child following Zubair’s Tweet, have also been named in the FIR.
NCPCR wrote to DCP Delhi seeking action against AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair
On August 8, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had taken cognizance of a matter where a minor girl child was threatened and tortured by AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair on the microblogging site. Priyank Kanoongo had informed that Twitter India and the concerned law enforcement officials had been informed about the tweet, and they have been asked to take appropriate action.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had acted on a complaint filed by Forum for Indigenous Rights- North-East India, an organisation working for the rights of people of North East India, against Md Zubair.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) wrote to the deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Delhi, Nodal Cyber Cell officer, saying that the commission has received several complaints seeking action against Zubair under POCSO or relevant acts for “stalking of a minor girl on Twitter”.
“Even his followers have started posting indecent and disgraceful comments on the minor girl pictures,” the letter said and added that harassing, threatening and stalking are offences under the Indian Penal Code and POCSO Act.
“Since, it pertains to online harassment, threatening and stalking of a minor girl, the complaint is being forwarded to you for deemed lawful action in the matter at your end,” the letter said.
NCPCR issued summon to Twitter India
NCPCR had also issued a summon to the senior manager policy of the Twitter India to personally appear it, after it found Twitter India’s reply in AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair’s case, unsatisfactory.
Co-founder of AltNews shares the photo of a minor girl to intimidate the grandfather
On August 7, Zubair indulged in an online spat with a Twitter user Jagdish Singh. The AltNews co-founder targetted a minor girl in his Twitter fight with this social media user. Instead of replying to the user directly, Zubair had brazenly referred to a minor girl seen in the profile picture of the user Jagdish Singh, presumably his granddaughter.
After Zubair had highlighted the minor girl seen in the photo, Islamists had started to issue rape threats to the girl. Zubair’s tweet came under heavy criticism from social media users who accused him of shamelessly using a child to get back at a critic.
When one Twitter user had tagged National Commission for Women to raise an alarm about the predatory behaviour by Zubair, the co-founder of AltNews brazened it out justifying his blatant doxxing that was clearly endangering the life of a minor.
