"Assault on truth": Opposition condemns Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair's arrest

The Delhi Police arrested Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair for hurting religious sentiments and inciting riots based on a complaint by a man who tagged the Delhi Police on Twitter.

Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair’s arrest “is an assault on truth”, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, leading the condemnation against the journalist’s arrest. The Delhi Police arrested Zubair for hurting religious sentiments and inciting riots based on a complaint by a man who tagged the Delhi Police on Twitter.

“India’s few fact-checking services, especially Alt News, perform a vital service in our post-truth political environment, rife with disinformation. They debunk falsehoods, whoever perpetrates them. To arrest Mohammed Zubair is an assault on truth. He should be released immediately,” Tharoor tweeted minutes after the police action against the journalist.

India’s few fact-checking services, especially @AltNews, perform a vital service in our post-truth political environment, rife with disinformation. They debunk falsehoods whoever perpetrates them. To arrest @zoo_bear is an assault on truth. He should be released immediately.

"Every person exposing BJP's hate, bigotry and lies is a threat to them. Arresting one voice of truth will only give rise to a thousand more. Truth ALWAYS triumphs over tyranny. #DaroMat," Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

“Shocked to hear that Mohammed Zubair has been taken into custody by the Delhi Police. Checking fact from fiction was probably his biggest crime?” Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted.

Shocked to hear that @zoo_bear has been taken into custody by the Delhi Police. Checking fact from fiction was probably his biggest crime?

Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien lashed out at PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over Zubair’s arrest: “Strongly condemn the arrest of one of the world’s finest journalists, Mohammed Zubair, who exposes the BJP’s #FakeNews factory every single day. PM Modi and Amit Shah, for all the power you wield, you are essentially COWARDS.”