Mohammed Zubair, Co-founder of Alt News”
A fresh controversy has emerged as an FIR was filed against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair for allegedly promoting enmity between religious groups through a tweet about Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand on charges of committing a provocative act to promote enmity between groups of religious believers on the basis of religion through a tweet regarding Yati Narsinghanand, a Hindutva leader. The case originated from a complaint filed by Udita Tyagi, Narsinghanand’s close associate, against Zubair for promoting religious enmity through sharing an old video of the priest’s comments disrespecting Prophet Muhammad. These comments were made by Narsinghanand during a sermon on September 29, and they have already sparked protests in several cities. On 3 October, Zubair uploaded a post that called for the arrest and legal proceeding against Narsinghanand; this led to some Muslims accusing him of deliberately inciting them. Hence, Zubair was arrested under various provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, such as provision promoting enmity, defamation, and criminal intimidation. At the same time, members of the Hindutva organizations demanded action against Zubair and AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi for incitement to attack Narsinghanand supporters, especially after the violent rally near the Ghaziabad temple.
| Category | Details |
| Full Name | Mohammed Zubair |
| Date of Birth | December 8, 1986 |
| Education | Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) in Computer Science from the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) |
| Occupation | Journalist, Fact-checker, Co-founder of Alt News |
| Notable Work | Co-founded Alt News, a fact-checking website aimed at combating misinformation and fake news, particularly related to political and social issues in India. |
| Achievements | Recognized for his efforts in promoting fact-checking in journalism; awarded the Gauri Lankesh Memorial Award for Courage in Journalism in 2021. |
| Awards and Honors | – Gauri Lankesh Memorial Award for Courage in Journalism (2021) – Featured in various media outlets for his contributions to combating misinformation and hate speech. |
| Social Media Presence | Active on social media platforms, particularly Twitter (now X), where he shares insights on fact-checking, journalism, and current events. |
| Legal Issues | Has faced multiple FIRs and legal challenges due to his fact-checking work and criticism of hate speech, particularly from Hindutva groups. |
| Recent Controversy | Filed against for allegedly promoting enmity between religious groups due to a tweet regarding Yati Narsinghanand’s derogatory comments about Prophet Muhammad. |
| Personal Life | Limited public information available; known to be private about his personal affairs. |
| Philosophy | Advocates for transparency, accountability in journalism, and the importance of fact-checking in combating misinformation. |
| Public Impact | Zubair’s work has significantly influenced the conversation around misinformation and has contributed to the awareness of the dangers of fake news in India. |
More about Mohammed Zubair, he is an Indian Journalist, fact-checker, co-founder at Alt News, which is a non-profit fact-checking website. Zubair was born on December 29, 1983, in Bangalore, Karnataka, but his work has given him recognition and criticism due to its politically charged Fact-checking feature. Subodh Varma was a software engineer turned powerful fact-checker, facing legal troubles for the first time, and arrested in 2022, press freedom in India has been an issue of concern.
Early Life and Education of Mohammed Zubair
Zubair along with his brothers and sisters was born in Bangalore, India to good old Muslim parents. He received his higher education at the M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology where he did his engineering. After completing his education, he got a job in software engineering at Nokia Company and worked for more than 10 years in order to gain exposure in technical field. His technical background would later be very useful when working with Alt News, as he employed the technical tools and investigative approaches to debunk falsehoods on the Internet.
The Foundation of Alt News
Zubair joined Alt News in 2017 when he and Pratik Sinha, another person who used to be a software engineer. Alt News was founded in the wake of massive propagation of fake news and disinformation in India with the help of social media amenities like Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. The platform rose to fame for its rigorous efforts in fact checking news and social media posts and often countering various fake news narratives which seek to divide society on the basis of religion and politics in India.For the first year of Alt News’ operation, Zubair assisted Sinha while continuing his job at Nokia. However, by September 2018, Zubair decided to leave his corporate career and join Alt News full-time. His commitment to fact-checking and his role at Alt News led to his appointment to the board of directors of the Pravda Media Foundation in December 2019. This foundation manages the operations of Alt News, and under Zubair’s leadership, it has played a crucial role in exposing misinformation in India.
The Impact of Alt News
In the Indian media space, Alt News has earned its place for making an attempt to mitigate the flow of fake news and disinformation. Its fact-checking programs have helped dismantle a number of misinformation attempts aimed especially at Muslims, which have been fanned by the far right and have been the subject of violent rhetoric in the case of White Supremacists.
Working for Alt News, Zubair is a known figure for the faux reporters who feel threatened by the exposure of fake news circulation. Most of the exposes conducted on the platform have involved personalities from the right-wing fraternity of India, especially from the ruling BJP party. However, Zubair has been involved in numerous lawsuits, accusations, and threats of persecution, which opponents state are attempts at coercing Zubair into closing the forum.
Legal Issues and Apprehension in 2022
Zubair’s problems with the law enforcement agents would be worse in 2022. His arrest on June 27, 2022, by Delhi Police has become a significant reference point to press freedom in the nation. The arrest stemmed from a tweet Rowling had made in 2018 that featured an image from the Indian movie Kissi Se Na Kehna released in 1983. The picture depicted a sign board where the word ‘Honeymoon’ had been cleverly replaced with ‘Hanuman’, thereby changing the name of the hotel to ‘Hanuman Hotel’. A tweet by an unknown user reported him for violating the sentiment of Hindus, and the police arrested him on charges of violating Section 295A of IPC and Section 67 of the IT Act.Zubair’s arrest prompted widespread criticism from journalists, human rights organizations, and opposition politicians, who viewed it as part of a larger campaign to suppress dissent and critical voices under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Critics argued that Zubair was being unfairly targeted for his fact-checking work, especially since his organization Alt News had played a key role in exposing disinformation spread by BJP-affiliated individuals and supporters.
The timing of his arrest was also seen as suspicious, coming soon after he highlighted controversial remarks made by Nupur Sharma, a spokesperson for the BJP, about the Prophet Muhammad during a television debate on the Gyanvapi Mosque dispute. Zubair’s tweet sharing the video of Sharma’s remarks drew international attention to the issue, leading to diplomatic backlash against India from several Muslim-majority countries.
The Muhammad Remarks Controversy
The event which arguably led to Zubair’s arrest took place on May 27, 2022, when Nupur Sharma came on a debate on Times Now channel and accused Prophet Mohammed of being a ‘child sexual abuser’. The comments, especially those regarding the supposed age of Aisha at the time of her marriage to Muhammad, caused much anger. Zubair then posted the video clip on his various social media platforms, and the video gained significant virality.
Sharma later asserted that the content of the video was edited in such a manner as to make her appear as if she had made certain statements that she had never made. Still, invoking the intent behind the video, modifying the context on the basis of what Alt News and Zubair presented in a longer, unedited version of the clip to establish that the comments were real. While Sharma was criticised and subsequently suspended from the BJP, she also accused Zubair of sharing the video after she received threats. Alt News distanced themselves from any threats or harassment against Sharma, stating that their job was only to point out incidents.
While Zubair’s response to Sharma brought him limelight, it also put him and his company in the crosshairs of the government. Zubair himself was arrested several days after the event on charges unrelated to the Sharma case, but many people considered the arrest to be a measure against the distinguished individual.
The Role of the Judiciary
Zubair’s trial in 2022 exemplified issues of press freedom and the political misuse of the justice system against voices that were deemed unfavorable. Initially, Zubair was released on interim bail in the case pertaining to the July 2018 tweet. However more cases were brought against him and this became what was termed as the cycle of legal charges. Whenever Zubair sought bail, new cases were filed leading to his continuous detention.In July 2022, the Supreme Court of India intervened, granting Zubair bail in all cases filed against him and ordering that future cases based on the same incident be transferred to Delhi. The court disbanded a special investigation team formed by the Uttar Pradesh government to investigate Zubair, citing concerns about the misuse of the legal process. The Supreme Court’s judgment was notable for its strong defense of free speech and its critique of the overuse of arrest as a punitive tool. The court stated that “arrest cannot be used as a punitive tool” and warned against the “abuse of power” by authorities.
International and National Reactions
A lot of media professionals and human rights groups around the world responded to Zubair’s arrest and claimed that the Indian government was suppressing press freedom. Many Indian media outlets, including the Editors Guild of India, DIGIPUB, demanded Zubair’s release, criticizing New Delhi for using legal persecution against journalists.
Internationally, the UN, Germany, and the EU used Zubair’s case to argue that press freedom was declining in India. The United Nations Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, cautiously acknowledged that journalists cannot be imprisoned for what they write or say, and Germany conveyed concern about Zubair ‘s detention.
At home, it was slightly different, as the reception was more divided. While journalists and opposition politicians criticised Zubair’s arrest, right-wing organisations and BJP supporters argued that it was legal to prosecute him for inciting religious tensions and slander against Hindu leaders.
Continued Legal Challenges
Despite this, Zubair was released from jail in 2022 but still encountered legal problems. In 2023, he was again included in another case when he posted a video on social media where a Muslim boy was beaten by fellow students on the directions of a school teacher in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. After being told that the video breached the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act by publicising the identity of a minor, Zubair removed it. However, he also pointed out that other news outlets had aired the same video without being penalised. He defined it as another case of selective persecution.
Recognition and Awards of Mohammed Zubair
Despite all the legal cases and scandals regarding Zubair’s work, the man has made significant positive contributions to journalism. The same year Time magazine included him, along with Pratik Sinha, in the list of contenders for the Nobel Peace Prize for their fight against disinformation. The Government of Tamil Nadu has honored Zubair with Kottai Ameer Communal Harmony award in January 2024 owing to his contributions in spreading the cause of communal harmony through his creations.
Conclusion
From a software engineer to India’s leading fact-checker, Mohammed Zubair shows the impact of journalism and its ability to hold public officials and leaders to account. Through writing for Alt News, he has exposed fake news, corrected misinformation going viral, and counteract those sharing misinformation for political gains. But it has also positioned him in the middle of another high-stakes fight for media rights in India. As Zubair still stands before courts and other instances, his story helps to recall that defending freedom of speech and journalists in a democratic state is an absolute necessity.