Bengaluru Police file FIR over 'death threats' to Alt News' Zubair

Bengaluru police are investigating fact-checker Mohammed Zubair’s complaint against several Twitter handles that called for “mob violence” against him and "threatened" his physical safety.

The 41-year-old co-founder of fact-checking website Alt News filed a complaint with the DJ Halli police in April, naming Twitter handles that “disclosed my address, criminally intimidated me and called for mob violence against me” through their public tweets. He sought immediate action.

Zubair's complaint named 15 Twitter handles, including one run by Ajeet Bharti, a self-proclaimed journalist who has been tweeting "death threats" against him. In a quote tweet, Bharti issued a "direct threat to my physical safety and security", Zubair stated.

Another Twitter user @Cyber_Huntss shared a public tweet on April 9 — during the Muslim holy month of Ramzan — saying he was sending Zubair a 400-gram packet of pork. The tweet, since deleted, disclosed Zubair’s address in Bengaluru.

“This tweet disclosing my address is meant to compromise my safety and can lead to mob violence against me. The tweet must be read with the context of the slew of hatred that I have been at the receiving end of since March 2023...” Zubair’s complaint states.

He added: “This targeting of my identity is abundantly clear from the specific sending of pork that is not consumed by Muslims. To send the prohibited meat during the month of Ramzan is to attack me for my religious identity and attack my dignity.”

For now, police have booked @Cyber_Huntss and other unnamed accused under IPC Sections 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, residence, etc), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 504 (punishment intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace).

Zubair wants the police to book Bharti and others named in the complaint. "Bharti is a serial offender and must be prosecuted," he said.