A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against so-called fact checker Mohammad Zubair, co-founder of Alt News, for inciting an Islamist mob against Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, the head pujari of Dasna mandir. The FIR, registered in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, accuses Zubair of spreading hate and sparking violence through social media posts, which allegedly led to protests on October 4, where slogans like “Sar Tan Se Juda” were raised.
The incident stems from a speech made by Yati Narsinghanand at an event on September 29 at Hindi Bhavan, Lohia Nagar, which later went viral on social media. The speech was accused of being blasphemous towards Prophet Muhammad, reigniting tensions.
Mohammad Zubair, known for his social media fact-checking, tweeted about the speech, describing it as “derogatory” and “hateful,” particularly against Prophet Muhammad. Zubair’s tweets fueled the protest that ensued on October 4, during which Islamist mobs gathered and raised incendiary slogans against Narsinghanand.
In his Tweet Zubair wrote, “One more derogatory and hateful speech by UP Priest Yati Narasinghanand targeting Islam and Prophet Mohammad.”
The FIR (Number: 992/2024) was lodged by Dr Udita Tyagi, a prominent Hindu activist, at the Kavinagar police station in Ghaziabad on October 7, 2024. In her complaint, she accused Zubair of orchestrating a campaign to incite Muslims through “provocative” and “misleading” tweets. Tyagi alleged that Zubair edited and shared clips of Narsinghanand’s speeches to incite violence. “This person continuously spreads hatred against Hindus and provokes fundamentalists through his provocative posts,” Tyagi stated in her formal complaint.
The complaint further accuses Zubair of previously targeting BJP leaders and spreading misinformation to incite violence. Tyagi highlighted that she, too, had been a target of death threats after Zubair’s posts, stressing that the social media campaign resulted in significant unrest at the Dasna Temple, where she and Narsinghanand narrowly escaped violence.
Based on the complaint, Zubair has been charged under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) including Sections 196, 228, 229, 356(3), and 351(2).
Zubair’s tweet, which alleged that Narsinghanand had insulted Prophet Muhammad, gained rapid traction on social media, with several users expressing outrage and making inflammatory remarks. This incident mirrors Zubair’s involvement in the 2022 Nupur Sharma controversy, where a selectively shared video sparked international protests and backlash.
In June 2022, Zubair posted a video clip of Nupur Sharma, then a BJP spokesperson, making comments about Prophet Muhammad during a televised debate. The clip, taken out of context, led to widespread protests, threats, and diplomatic fallout.
Zubair’s selective focus on Sharma’s remarks while ignoring other participants’ comments in the debate drew criticism. Similarly, in the current case, after Zubair’s tweet about Narsinghanand, far-left activists and Islamist groups mobilised on social media, calling for immediate action against him. Samiullah Khan, a known provocateur, demanded Narsinghanand’s imprisonment for “blasphemy,” and several users tagged the foreign ministries of Gulf nations like Turkey and the UAE, urging them to impose sanctions on India.
In response to the social media uproar, an FIR was registered against Narsinghanand under IPC Section 302 for his comments, which included a call to burn effigies of Prophet Muhammad, likening the Islamic figure to mythological villains.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Police issued a statement on social media, noting that a disturbance had occurred outside Dasna Temple but had been quickly brought under control. The situation around the temple was described as peaceful, with additional police forces deployed to maintain order. The current incident has sparked comparisons to the Nupur Sharma case, where blasphemy accusations and communal tensions were similarly inflamed through social media, highlighting the volatile nature of such incidents when amplified online.
With an FIR now officially registered against Mohammad Zubair, all eyes are on the Uttar Pradesh Police as they determine the course of action regarding the accusations of instigating an Islamist mob against Dasna pujari Yati Narsinghanand.
