“Withdraw FIR Filed Against Mohammed Zubair”: Press Club Of India
The Press Club of India condemned the Uttar Pradesh Police filing an affidavit to the Allahabad High Court, in which it has accused Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair of “endangering the sovereignty and unity of India”. The journalists’ body also demanded the withdrawal of the FIR filed against Zubair.
The case stems from Zubair’s tweet criticising alleged hate speech by Yati Narsinghanand, a controversial priest from Ghaziabad’s Dasna Devi Temple.
In September, Narsinghanand delivered a speech targeting Prophet Muhammad, prompting FIRs against him in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Telangana. However, instead of addressing the hate speech, the police have charged Zubair, who posted about the remarks on X (formerly Twitter). The FIR, lodged by Udita Tyagi, General Secretary of the Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Foundation, accuses Zubair of inciting violence by sharing an old video of Narsinghanand.
The FIR includes multiple charges, such as promoting enmity on religious grounds, defamation, and criminal intimidation. Recently, the investigating officer added Section 66 of the IT Act and Section 152 of the BNS, a provision critics argue is a repurposed sedition law designed to stifle dissent.
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“An FIR under BNS 152 was filed against him. All sane minds have been opposing this section as it has potential to silence the free thinkers and media. It can also be imposed against those who are critical of dispensation. We have seen a number of cases in the past where the sedition laws were misused. BNS 152 is also the same but in new avatar. We demand withdrawal of the FIR filed against Mohammed Zubair,” the Press of India statement said.
