The Ghaziabad Police on Monday filed a first information report against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair for allegedly promoting enmity between religious groups with a Tweet about Hindutva supremacist Yati Narsinghanand.
The FIR came in response to a complaint by one of Narsinghanand’s aides.
Narasinghanand, who is the priest of the Dasna Devi temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, reportedly made a derogatory comment about Prophet Muhammad during a sermon on September 29, sparking protests by Muslim groups in several cities.
On October 3, Zubair had shared a purported video of the incident on X and demanded legal action against the priest.
Several FIRs have also been filed against Narsinghanand for alleged hate speech targeting Muslims.
Udita Tyagi, the general secretary of the Yati Narsimahanand Saraswati Foundation, filed a complaint with Kavinagar police in Ghaziabad alleging that Zubair had posted an outdated video of Narsinghanand with intent to incite Muslims to violence, reported PTI.
The journalist was subsequently booked on charges of promoting enmity between groups on religious grounds, fabricating evidence, indulging in deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings, defamation and criminal intimidation under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
On Friday, a mob of around 150 persons allegedly threw stones at police officers outside a temple in Ghaziabad during a protest against Narsinghanand’s remarks. On Sunday, the Ghaziabad Police arrested six men who were allegedly part of the mob.
Hindutva groups submitted a memorandum to Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra, demanding action against those who “attacked” the temple. They also sought action against Zubair and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi, whom they accused of instigating Muslims to target Narsinghanand’s followers.
