Born on 29th December, Mohammad Zubair is basically a journalist. His designation is currently fact-checker and co-founder of Alt-News. He is currently trending on Twitter due to the hashtag #IStandWithZubair. This hashtag became trending because of the controversial post by Zubair. The post contained conspiring views that promoted communal violence between Hindus and Muslims. But to better understand why he was arrested, let’s take a look at the history behind him being trending on Twitter.

Mohammad Zubair – How he became trending on Twitter?

Mohammad Zubair recently shared a video on Twitter for BJP former spokesperson Nupur Sharma. In this video, Nupur Sharma was found making derogatory remarks against the Prophet Muhammad. While the video of Nupur Sharma is from 2018, Mohammad Zubair shared it recently in 2022 in order to vitiate an atmosphere that was already brewing with communal hatred. In fact, Nupur Sharma also informed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Delhi Police personnel about this. Hence, there emerged a bipolar debate on Twitter. This debate found Twitterati taking the sides of either Nupur Sharma or Zubair. As a result, communal violence broke out in many parts of the country.

Photos of Nupur Sharma being burnt after Mohammad Zubair shared the video of her communal comments

The Arrest of Mohammad Zubair

Zubair was prosecuted under the sections 153 A (which is promoting hatred and enmity between communal groups). He was also charged with section 295 A (which is deliberate and malicious acts to promote communal hatred). A Special Cell Police Station in Delhi registered his case, following which he as duly arrested. Apart from the general public which did not cease to pass derogatory comments, the authorities also gave their piece of mind. A notable police officer – KPS Malhotra said that Zubair’s post was against the principles of communal harmony. KPS Malhotra is the Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations (IFSO).

The Aftermath of Zubair’s Tweet

Communal violence in Karauli after the tweet of Mohammad Zubair

As said before, Zubair’s tweet caused widespread communal violence in several pockets of religious minority all over the country. Most notably, there was unrest and some amount of violence in the state of West Bengal. Regions like Howrah in West Bengal experienced a significant loss of life and property due to these communal riots of June 2022. Situations like these call for a national emergency. However, the PM Modi has refrained from enacting this due to higher political reasons. Moreover, with the disruption seen due to the lockdowns of Covid-19, we all know what an emergency and curfew could do to our lives.

Takeaway

It is people like Mohammad Zubair that often fuel the fire of communal violence. The social media may have a lot of power to influence the masses. But it should be used wisely. Especially people like Zubair should know that better than anyone else. The power of social media today can either make or break a nation. And today, as we have witnessed, India may be on the brink of a riot due to social media. Nonetheless, there is still hope. The actual power rests with the masses. So, let’s proactively report such posts on social media. This will help keep these platforms clean and positive for all.

If you enjoyed reading that, you would love to read about Balwinder Singh Jattana as well. He was an underrated revolutionary. But what is interesting is that he was mentioned in the new song SYL by the late Sidhu Moosewala.