Alt News cofounder and self-described fact-checker Mohammed Zubair was once again caught peddling lies after Uttarakhand Police refuted claims of a Quran-burning incident in the state.
Zubair had posted a tweet tagging Haridwar Police and Uttarakhand Police, asking them to look into the matter of a viral video showing a man in Roorkee allegedly burning Quran and stamping on it. The tweet by Zubair had instantly gone viral, racking up close to over 2,400 retweets at the time of writing this article. The tweet also garnered substantial engagement, with users demanding the police to act against the alleged culprit.
However, realising the sensitivity of the matter, Haridwar Police swung into action and came out to dispel mistaken notions that Zubair’s tweet was spreading. From its official X account, the police tweeted that the said person is not living in the place where the incident was said to have taken place in the last three years. Furthermore, the police said there have been no incidents of disrespect to the Holy Quran taking place in the Haridwar district.
In addition to this, the police warned of legal action against those who spread claims without verifying them. Naturally, the police were alive to the law and order problem such unfounded allegations and old videos can cause, especially by someone like Mohammed Zubair, who had triggered a diplomatic crisis in 2022 when he shared an incomplete video of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma making comments on Prophet Muhammad to counter insults meted out on Hindu Gods by a fellow Muslim panellist.
The incomplete video of Sharma spitting facts derived from reliable Islamic hadiths spread like wildfire on social media, attracting riots and violence. Thousands of bloodthirsty Islamists took to the streets baying for the blood of the former BJP spokesperson, chanting Sar Tan Se Juda against her, and at least one instance of her effigy being hung up on a square. Subsequently, several people, including Kanhaiya Lal, Umesh Kolhe, and others became victims of Islamist violence after they extended support to beleaguered Sharma.
It is notable to mention that this is not the first time that Mohammed Zubair has been caught lying or posting provocative tweets aimed at dog-whistling his supporters. On several occasions, Zubair, his organisation, Alt News, and another cofounder, Pratik Sinha, were caught lying and spreading falsehoods.
In other instances, Alt News acts as an Islamic propaganda website using the cover of selective ‘fact-checking’ to shield Islamists and their sordid activities.