Alt News co-founder Zubair faces backlash for tweet mocking Brahmin; Deletes post showing Amit Shah’s shikha being cut

Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair recently faced criticism after an old tweet depicting BJP leader Amit Shah resurfaced on X. In May 2018, Zubair shared a caricature showing Amit Shah portrayed as Chanakya, with his shikha being clipped by a hand labelled “DKS.” Critics accused the post of insulting the Brahmin community

Zubair responded by deleting the tweet and saying it was taken out of context, asserting that it did not reflect communal intent. This incident drew attention because Zubair, well-known for calling out inflammatory remarks against Islamic figures—such as during the Nupur Sharma controversy—and his frequent fact-checking against communal bias, faced accusations of hypocrisy from his detractors.

A large number of social media users demanded action against Mohammed Zubair after his old tweet resurfaced, with Advocate Ashutosh Dubey calling it a direct insult to the Brahmin community and tagging UP Police on X for action.

Amid growing outrage, Zubair deleted the 2018 tweet and issued a clarification, stating he had merely shared a political cartoon by an independent artist reflecting the Karnataka election scenario at the time. He claimed the post is now being misinterpreted and taken out of context.