Twitter Account That Led to Mohammed Zubair's Arrest Doesn't Exist Anymore
The account had put out a tweet, which appeared to be its first, on 19 June, saying that Zubair had insulted Hindus.
The anonymous Twitter account that made the singular post responsible for the arrest of the co-founder of fact-checking website Alt News Mohammed Zubair does not exist on the social media website as of Wednesday, 29 June.
(Photo: Chetan Bhakuni/The Quint)
The anonymous Twitter account that made the singular post responsible for the arrest of the co-founder of fact-checking website Alt News Mohammed Zubair does not exist on the social media website as of Wednesday, 29 June.
The account has disappeared from the website following the news of Zubair's arrest on Monday.
Going by the name of 'Hanuman Bhakt,' the Twitter handle @balajikijaiin had raised an objection to tweet posted by the journalist four years ago, urging the Delhi Police to take action against him.
The handle had become active on Wednesday again, to tweet against Zubair's colleague Pratik Sinha, calling for his arrest.
What the Account Had Posted
The account had put out a single tweet, which appeared to be its first, on 19 June 2022, complaining that Zubair had insulted Hindus.
Mohammed Zubair's tweet, which attached a screenshot from the 1983 comedy film Kissi Se Na Kehna, read, "Before 2014 : Honeymoon Hotel. After 2014 : Hanuman Hotel. #SanskaariHotel."
It is pertinent to note that the movie has aired on TV and other streaming platforms, and presumably has due clearance from the censor board.
The Arrest
Mohammed Zubair was arrested on Monday evening at the Special Cell of the Delhi Police, where he had been called for investigation in another case.
"Zubair was called today by special cell, Delhi for investigation in a 2020 case for which he already had a protection against arrest from High Court. However, today at around 6.45pm we were told he has been arrested in some other FIR for which no notice was given which is mandatory under law for the Sections under which he has been arrested. Nor FIR copy is being given to us despite repeated requests," Pratik Sinha had then said in a statement.
A day after his arrest, Delhi's Patiala Court granted the police four-day custody of the journalist after his one-day remand came to an end.
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