Alt News co-founder arrested under 295 IPC

Mohammad Zubair, a fact-checker and co-founder of Alt News, was arrested by Delhi Police on Monday under sections 153 295 of Indian Penal Code IPC. The arrest was based on tweets detrimental to communal disharmony, after a Twitter handle alerted the Intelligence Fusion Strategic Operations IFSO unit, said Malhotra.

A case was previously registered under sections 153 A promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, language, etc. and 295 A deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings of the IPC against Zubair, Malhotra said.

After gathering enough evidence on record, Zubair joined the probe and was arrested, Malhotra said.

He is being brought up before the magistrates for a charge of PC remand for the purpose of the investigation of the case, Malhotra stated.

According to a PTI report, an FIR was registered against Zubair at the Khairabad Police Station for calling Hindu seers hate mongers. Additional Superintendent of Police MP Singh told PTI that the case was registered on a complaint lodged by Bhagwan Sharan, district president of Hindu Sher Sena.

The journalist was arrested under sections of the Information Technology Act and the IPC. A tweet from Zubair on May 27 tagging Vineet Jain, Times Group's managing director, is at the heart of the matter.

Well done vineetjaintimes! Why do we need Hate mongers like Yati Narasinghanand Saraswati or Mahant Bajrang Muni or Anand Swaroop to arrange a Dharam Sansad to speak against a community and a religion, when we already have Anchors who can do a better job from News Studios, he said in the tweet.