The Uttar Pradesh government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into all the accusations against Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair. Over half a dozen FIR under various sections of the Indian Penal Code have been filed against Mohammed Zubair for his defamatory comments against Hindu seers, hurting religious sentiments by sharing disparaging posts against Hindu Gods, and making critical remarks against News anchors among other things.
#BREAKING | Uttar Pradesh Police forms SIT to investigate Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair.
— Republic (@republic) July 12, 2022
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The SIT has been headed by IG Preetinder Singh. DIG Amit Kumar Verma has also made a part of the SIT. Mohammad Zubair is facing charges in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Ghaziabad, Hathras, and Muzaffarnagar.
The government’s directive to form the SIT comes in the backdrop of the Supreme Court extending the interim bail granted to Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair until further orders in the case filed in the Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh. Zubair, however, would remain in Delhi Police custody in connection with another case filed against him.
On June 1, Khairabad Police of Sitapur district in Uttar Pradesh filed a First Investigation Report (FIR) against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair for using derogatory language against Mahant Bajrang Muni Udasin, Rashtriya Sanrakshak of Rashtriya Hindu Sher Sena along with Yati Narsinghanand and Swami Anand Swaroop. The FIR was registered based on the complaint of Bhagwan Sharan, district head of Rashtriya Hindu Sher Sena, under sections 295(A) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Another case has also been registered against him by the Delhi Police for allegedly hurting religious sentiments and promoting enmity through his tweet made in 2018. Zubair had been denied bail by Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria in this particular case on July 2. The court will hear another bail plea on July 14 in this case.
In addition to these two cases, Zubair is also facing charges in a case filed against him in UP’s Lakhimpur Kheri. Only yesterday, (Monday, July 11), the Alt News co-founder and alleged ‘fact checker’ was sent to 14-day judicial custody by the Mohammadi Session Court in the case filed against him in the Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh. Additional charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sections 153B, 501(1)(B) and 505(2), are pressed against Mohammed Zubair.
