Hours after the Delhi Police arrested Alt-News co-founder Mohammed Zubair for his Hinduphobic posts, it has been learnt that he formatted his phone before his arrest. Further, Zubair was evasive when questioned by the police and didn’t cooperate with the police forming grounds for his arrest.
Sharing the information, DCP IFSO KPS Malhotra said, “Mohammed Zubair’s objectionable tweet led to a Twitter storm with hate speeches, detrimental to communal harmony. 2 things including technical gadget & intention was important. He was evasive on both, phone was formatted. This formed grounds of arrest.”
Delhi | Mohd Zubair’s objectionable tweet led to a Twitter storm with hate speeches, detrimental to communal harmony. 2 things including technical gadget & intention was important. He was evasive on both, phone was formatted. This formed grounds of arrest: KPS Malhotra, DCP IFSO pic.twitter.com/0WZy8pgCiX
— ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2022
Further, as per the police remand notice accessed by Times Now, Zubair has refused to answer most of the questions during the interrogation.
Zubair Arrested: TIMES NOW accesses remand copy that says ‘the accused is not cooperating in the investigation’.@bhavatoshsingh, @priyanktripathi & @DEKAMEGHNA share the latest details.
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) June 28, 2022
#MohammedZubair pic.twitter.com/oRRznJNmK3
On Monday night, Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair was brought to the IFSO Delhi Police special cell in Dwarka after he was sent to one-day police remand. It has now been learnt that Zubair is not cooperating with the Police and has refused to answer most of the questions put to him, as mentioned in the remand copy.
Dwarka, Delhi | Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair who has been sent to 1-day police remand brought to IFSO Special Cell, Delhi Police
— ANI (@ANI) June 27, 2022
He has been arrested over allegations of hurting the religious sentiments of a community pic.twitter.com/Zi0ZHWdjdD
Zubair has also refused to sign on the paper of the remand copy which is enclosed in an annexure, which is to be duly signed both by the Investigation Officer (IO) and the accused. The IO has further noted that while the accused has joined the investigation, he is not cooperating with the same.
The Delhi Police’s rationale behind taking custody of Zubair was to extract information from him during his custody. While Zubair is not cooperating with the agency for the same, it would be difficult for him to be granted bail by the Court under such circumstances.
Currently, the Delhi Police are looking for Mohammed Zubair’s phone using which he made the tweets insulting Hindu Gods which have come under scrutiny. Meanwhile, Zubair has claimed that he has lost the gadget. According to Times Now, the police are currently tracking the deletion of the data, which could also attract charges of tempering with the evidence against Zubair.
Mohammed Zubair was arrested for hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. He was booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 153 (provocation to cause riot) and 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings).
