An FIR has been registered against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in connection with the attack on Dasna Devi Temple in Ghaziabad last week. The complaint alleges that Zubair, along with other Muslim leaders including Arshad Madani and Asaduddin Owaisi, incited Muslims nationwide and influenced local Muslims to involve outsiders in the attempt to destroy the ShivShakti Dham in Dasna.
The FIR was lodged by BJP leader Dr. Udita Tyagi on October 7 at the Web City police station in Ghaziabad, following the temple attack on October 5, carried out by a mob that reportedly attempted to besiege the Shiv Shakti Dham after a video shared by Zubair went viral.
Mohammed Zubair has been booked over Dasna Devi Temple attack | OpIndia
In her complaint, Dr. Tyagi claimed that the attack was part of a premeditated conspiracy by Islamists against the Shiv Shakti Dham in Dasna. She further accused Zubair, Owaisi, Madani, and other Muslim leaders of inciting violence against Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati. Dr. Tyagi urged the police to take action against individuals attempting to stir communal tensions and demanded the release and protection of Yati Narsinghanand.
Zubair has been charged under Sections 196, 228, 299, 356(3), and 351(2) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The FIR alleges that Zubair's provocative tweets incited the attack on Dasna Devi Temple, where a mob reportedly gathered and raised threatening slogans while throwing stones.
On October 4, thousands of protesters gathered in Sultanpur village, Haridwar district, Uttarakhand, in response to Mahant Narsinghanand Saraswati's comments on Prophet Muhammad. The crowd raised slogans like “Nara-e-Takbir Allah Hu Akbar,” “Fansi Do,” and “Sar Tan Se Juda.” A similar incident occurred in Bulandshahr, with stone pelting during protests against Narsinghanand’s remarks in the Sikandrabad area, where a large group gathered outside Hazrat Ali Mosque.
On October 3, Zubair shared a video of Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, claiming that he had made derogatory comments about Prophet Muhammad and called for burning effigies of the prophet. Despite portraying himself as a "fact-checker" combating hate speech, Zubair has been criticized for remaining silent about derogatory remarks made against Sanatana Dharma by leaders of Congress and DMK.
The video led to a wave of outrage, with other social media users also sharing inflammatory posts. They accused Narsinghanand of disrespecting their prophet and called for his arrest, intensifying tensions around the incident.
How Zubair's past dog-whistling incited violence, resulting in the deaths of innocent Hindus
The following rephrased version retains the core information while presenting it with a more neutral tone:
It's important to note that this isn't the first instance where Zubair has faced accusations of inciting communal tensions. In 2022, Zubair highlighted a segment from a debate involving former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on Times Now, where she responded to comments about the Shivling found at the Gyanvapi structure. Her remarks on Prophet Muhammad's marriage with Ayesha, which Zubair shared, led to widespread protests across the country.
These protests, characterized by significant unrest in multiple cities, were partly attributed to Zubair's actions. He is seen as having escalated the situation, which ultimately painted a target on Nupur Sharma and her supporters.
The widespread backlash against Sharma led many to voice their support for her. Among them were Kanhaiya Lal from Udaipur and Umesh Kolhe from Amravati, who faced dire consequences for their support. Lal received death threats for sharing a social media post supporting Sharma, and shortly after, he was tragically killed. Similarly, Umesh Kolhe, a chemist from Amravati, was attacked and killed on June 22, 2022, while returning from work, also for his supportive post regarding Sharma.
Mohammed Zubair, whose tweet incited death threats and murders against Nupur Sharma, is portrayed as a victim in the anti-Modi BBC documentary
Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of Alt News, who has been accused of inciting violence against former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma through his supporters, is now being portrayed as a victim by leftist media outlets.
On Thursday, March 9, journalist Alishan Jafri from The Wire claimed that Zubair has received multiple death threats due to his reporting on the conditions of migrant workers in Tamil Nadu. Jafri, who participated in the now-banned BBC documentary about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, made these allegations not only in The Wire but also across various other media platforms, including Newslaundry, The News Minute, Scroll, and Article 14.
It’s important to note that Alishan Jafri contributes to several outlets, such as The Wire, The Quint, BBC Hindi, Article 14, NewsClick, and Qatar’s Al Jazeera, which are known for their anti-Hindu and anti-India narratives. In the banned BBC documentary, Jafri and the network wrongly accused PM Modi of orchestrating the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Despite Jafri's attempts to frame Zubair's situation as an ‘occupational hazard’ caused by ‘Hindutva forces’ hindering his work, it is clear that any threats he may face stem from his long-standing practice of inciting animosity against the Hindu community.
On March 8, Zubair issued a threat to Abhishek Singh over a Holi meme, endangering Singh’s safety and forcing him to delete his LinkedIn profile to protect himself and his family. Columnist Harshil Mehta expressed outrage over Zubair's actions and the absence of legal repercussions for him, even calling for extrajudicial measures against the controversial fact-checker.
The threats directed at Zubair were a reaction to his own intimidation of a Hindu man for sharing an image of a Hindu celebrating Holi with a Muslim woman. Zubair’s actions pushed Singh to delete his LinkedIn and Twitter accounts due to the history of Zubair inciting violence against those who oppose him.
While the threats may be illegal, they reflect the frustration of many Hindus who feel endangered by Zubair's actions, which have continually put their safety and livelihoods at risk without consequences. The death and rape threats faced by Nupur Sharma originated from Zubair sharing a selectively edited clip of a television debate. Today, Sharma remains confined to her home, while Zubair enjoys support from propagandists like Jafri, who write articles in his favor as he continues to threaten Hindus.
Mehta recognizes the severe implications of such tweets, whereas Zubair shows no remorse for the radical Islamists he has incited against Nupur Sharma. Instead of taking responsibility for the dangers he creates, Zubair maintains a façade of victimhood, with Jafri suggesting that he is facing threats for his ‘fact checks’ regarding the migrant crisis in Tamil Nadu.
This narrative has further enabled Zubair to evade accountability for endangering individuals like Abhishek Singh. Jafri's article includes tweets that do not qualify as threats, such as one from lawyer Shashank Shekhar Jha, who stated he would never forgive Zubair for putting Nupur Sharma’s life in jeopardy and the ensuing violence that claimed innocent Hindu lives. Jha has since announced on Twitter that he will pursue legal action against the media outlets and Jafri if his name is not removed from their articles within the next 24 hours.
Mohammed Zubair and the fallout from his comments about Nupur Sharma
In May 2021, former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma became embroiled in a significant controversy after Islamists, incited by figures like Mohammed Zubair, issued multiple threats against her and her family for her comments regarding Prophet Muhammad and Islam.
Sharma was part of a panel discussion on Times Now, where the focus was on the discovery of a Shivling in the Gyanvapi complex and the subsequent mockery directed at Hindu deities in response to this finding.
Islamists asserted that the Shivling found within the wuzukhana of the disputed Gyanvapi site was not a Shivling but rather a fountain. This narrative was endlessly echoed on social media, with detractors insisting that the discovery was merely a fountain and not an idol of a Hindu deity.
In light of the contempt directed toward Hindu gods and goddesses, Nupur Sharma urged her critics to stop their insults and referenced Islamic scriptures and the Holy Quran to support her comments about Prophet Muhammad and Islam.
Zubair shared an edited video of the debate, which sparked Sar Tan Se Juda protests nationwide. While Islamists rioted in various cities, it was Zubair's actions that inflamed the situation to an unmanageable level.
Zubair's rhetoric exaggerated the issue, effectively placing a target on the backs of Nupur Sharma and her supporters.
The intense harassment faced by Sharma led many to rally in her defense. Individuals like Kanhaiya Lal from Udaipur and Umesh Kolhe in Amravati publicly expressed their support for her, despite the threats they faced from Islamists.
Lal became a target the moment he voiced his support for Sharma. Islamists, spurred on by Mohammed Zubair, issued death threats to him for what they deemed an unforgivable offense against the Prophet.
Tragically, days later, Lal was murdered for something as trivial as sharing a social media post in support of Sharma.
A similar fate awaited Umesh Kolhe, a chemist in Amravati, who was killed by four Muslim assailants while returning home from his pharmacy on the night of June 22, 2022. Kolhe was also murdered for his supportive social media post regarding Nupur Sharma.
Reports from OpIndia have detailed numerous cases of violence and threats against the Hindu community for expressing their support for the former BJP spokesperson.
This situation implicates Mohammed Zubair in the concept of "stochastic terrorism," defined as the public vilification of an individual or group that incites a statistically likely but unpredictable violent act.
Zubair led a campaign against Nupur Sharma, accusing her of disrespecting Prophet Muhammad, which ultimately contributed to the tragic deaths of Lal, Kolhe, and many others.
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