In a curious turn of events, the aide of a controversial Hindu priest facing charges for an alleged hate speech has filed a police complaint against fact-checking website founder Mohammed Zubair.
According to reports, Zubair – who is the co-founder of Alt News – has been booked by Ghaziabad Police for allegedly promoting enmity between religious groups based on a complaint filed by Udita Tyagi, the general secretary of Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Trust.
Narsinghanand, the head priest of Dasna Devi Temple, was recently in the news for an alleged inflammatory speech delivered in Ghaziabad last month. He is facing police cases over the speech.
In her complaint, Tyagi has accused Zubair of posting past video clips of Narsinghanand online with an aim to instigate violence against the priest. She also alleged that Zubair’s posts provoked protests outside the Dasna Devi temple where the priest’s followers had a narrow escape.
However, Zubair has denied the allegations and said the FIR was registered without any verification of facts. He also pointed out that other journalists reported on the same incident involving Narsinghanand but the police action was targeted against him.
The case invokes questions on possible attempts to curb fact-checking and curb dissent by booking those bringing controversies surrounding controversial religious figures to fore. Police say they are investigating the matter even as demands have grown to act against those deliberately provoking communities online.