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Who is Zubair: UP says facts twister, not fact-checker; SC grants him bail in 6 FIRs

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Earlier this week, the Uttar Pradesh government told the Supreme Court that Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair made graded payments for his tweets to inflame communal passion — more vicious the tweet the higher the payments — and admitted receiving Rs 2 crore.

However, uninterested by UP counsel’s vehement arguments, the Supreme Court said it does not see a reason for deprivation of his liberty to persist any further and granted him interim bail in all the six FIRs registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police. From his arrest to release, Zubair had occupied the media spotlight. Zubair, who is a self-proclaimed fact-checker, is employed with Pravda Media Foundation promoted Alt News.

Uttar Pradesh’s Additional Advocate General Garima Prasad pressed in the Supreme Court that Zubair is a person who, instead of informing the police of hate speech, has been taking advantage of speeches and videos having potential of creating a communal divide and he had shared them repeatedly. The counsel claimed his tweets are meant to inflame communal violence, which actually took place, in certain localities of Uttar Pradesh, where videos of crimes were used along with comments to incite communal elements to indulge in violence.

The UP’s counsel urged a bench headed by justice D.Y. Chandrachud to impose a bail condition that Zubair should not tweet, adding that there are doubts if he can be called a journalist. However, refusing to restrain Zubair from tweeting, the top court said, “It is like telling a lawyer that you should not argue. How can we tell a journalist that he will not write?” The UP counsel reiterated, “He is not a journalist…” Justice Chandrachud further added that if he violates any law by tweeting, then the authorities can proceed against him as per law.

At 6 p.m. the same day, the self-proclaimed fact-checker, who had put the spotlight on former BJP leader Nupur Sharma for her remarks on the Prophet, quietly walked out of the Tihar jail wearing a baseball cap, and a full mask. However, his release from the jail does not resolve the mystery about his identity, which remains far from over. A single question created a raze on the social media: who is Mohammed Zubair? Where does he come from?

Zubair co-founded fact-checking website Alt News, along with former software engineer Pratik Sinha in 2017 to combat fake news. According to police and security agencies, Zubair, aged between 39-40 years, is a resident of Bengaluru, who holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Telcom Engineering from private M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology (MSRIT). He has travelled to Saudi Arabia and Australia.

Zubair has a family with a wife, kids, and parents. He completed his engineering degree in 2005. He then joined Airtel Enterprises in Bengaluru as an engineer and worked there for two years. Zubair, then worked in CISCO-HCL company for one year before joining Nokia-Siemens Network (NSN) in 2008 and travelled the entire country, including all big metros as part of his job. Zubair worked for the NSN for a decade.

In 2015, he met Pravda Foundation Director Pratik Sinha and his mother Nirjhari Sinha. Pratik Sinha’s father Mukul Sinha ran a campaign against then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi over Gujarat riots. Pratik’s father, who was a scientist and also trained as a lawyer, went on to represent victims of the communal riots in Gujarat and he also took on the Narendra Modi government through sustained cross-examination in the Nanavati-Shah Commission which investigated the Godhra train carnage, riots and alleged fake encounters that followed.

It was after this meeting that Zubair and Pravada Foundation joined hands to set up Alt News by labelling it as a fact-checking website.

On July 20, giving out details on Zubair’s controversial credentials claiming to be fact-checker, the UP counsel told the Supreme Court that under the guise of fact-checking, Zubair is promoting malicious and provocative content, and she also pointed at violence in Uttar Pradesh, Ghaziabad-Loni incident, which took place after his tweet, which was a video of an old man beaten by some people.

The counsel added that Zubair took advantage of this video, tweeted it to lakhs of his followers and added sentences which inflamed violence. The counsel said he had given a written apology saying that without checking facts he had gone ahead and added that Zubair was using Twitter as a medium to spread disinformation and creating communal tension by twisting facts. The counsel reiterated in the Supreme Court that he is not a journalist!

National News

Ugly Fight Breaks Out Between 2 Groups Of Women As They Hit Each Other With Sticks Over Playing Music In UP’s Baghpat

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A dispute over a seemingly trivial matter escalated into a chaotic clash between two groups of women in Uttar Pradesh’s Doghat on Thursday. 

As per reports, the altercation began over playing music but tensions in the area quickly intensified when two groups of women started thrashing each other with sticks and other objects. 

A video of the incident, which has gone viral on social media, shows around eight to ten women involved in a fierce brawl on a busy street. Bystanders can be seen watching in shock, with some attempting to intervene but retreating due to the intensity of the fight.

Several women were injured in the confrontation, and the footage has sparked outrage on social media. 

Reports suggest that local residents eventually managed to de-escalate the situation, but not before multiple women sustained injuries. 

Doghat police have initiated an investigation based on the video. As per reports, they are currently examining the video footage, and appropriate action will be taken following the investigation.

UP: Two burnt alive in truck collision in Fatehpur

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a truck driver and his helper were burnt alive when two trucks collided and caught fire in the Hussainganj area of Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district, police said on Thursday.

The incident occurred around midnight on Wednesday on the Fatehpur-Lucknow road, Additional SP Vijay Shankar Mishra said.

Vinay Shukla (35), the driver of one of the trucks, and his helper, Ramraj Yadav (23), were burnt alive in the blaze. The occupants of the other truck managed to jump out before the fire spread, Mishra added.

Both victims were residents of Kherwa village in the Shivratanganj police station area of Amethi district. Their bodies have been sent for postmortem, Mishra said.

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National News

J&K Assembly: Scuffle Breaks Out After Engineer Rashid’s Brother Shows Article 370 Banner In House

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J&K Assembly: Scuffle Breaks Out After Engineer Rashid's Brother Shows Article 370 Banner In House

Srinagar: The proceedings of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly were disrupted after a scuffle broke out in the House between National Conference and BJP MLAs.

According to reports, the House proceedings were briefly adjourned after Engineer Rashid’s brother, MLA Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh, displayed a banner about Article 370, which led to objections from BJP MLA Sunil Sharma.

Irfan Hafeez Lone displayed a banner on the restoration of Article 370 in the J&K Assembly. After a scuffle between Lone and BJP members, the House proceedings were adjourned for 15 minutes. BJP raised concerns over security, questioning how such actions were allowed.

Leader of the Opposition, Sunil Sharma, stated that under special status, some had built their own “palaces” and even cemeteries. This provoked anger from National Conference (NC) leaders. BJP members began chanting slogans in the House, while NC leaders also responded with their own slogans. The visuals of the incident have surfaced on the internet.

In the viral video, the lawmakers can be seen pushing each other on the floor of the house.

After the House resumed following the scuffle, several opposition MLAs causing disruption were physically removed by marshals and evicted from the Assembly.

Meanwhile, PDP moves a fresh resolution in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly seeking the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A. The BJP opposed the resolution demanding its withdrawal.

Amid uproar, the Jammu and Kashmir assembly has been adjourned till Friday. The UT assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution seeking a dialogue for “restoration of special status and constitutional guarantees” to the Jammu and Kashmir. The resolution was supported by all parties except the BJP.

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National News

J&K: One Terrorist Killed During Encounter In Bandipora’s Kaitsan, Operation Underway

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Bandipora (Jammu and Kashmir): Security forces have eliminated one terrorist in the ongoing Operation Kaitsan in Bandipora, the Army officials said on Wednesday.

According to Army officials, further operation is in progress.

“OP Kaitsan, Bandipora. One terrorist has been eliminated by the security forces in the ongoing Operation. Operation is in progress,” Indian Army’s Chinar Corps said on X.

Earlier on Tuesday, a joint operation was launched by the Indian Army, Jammu & Kashmir Police, and CRPF in the general area of Chuntawadi Kaitsan, Bandipora after an encounter broke out between Security Forces and terrorists.

“Based on specific intelligence input regarding the presence of terrorists in the general area of Kaitsan forest, a joint operation was launched by the Indian Army, Jammu & Kashmir Police, and CRPF in the general area of Chuntawadi Kaitsan, Bandipora. Contact was established and a firefight ensued. Operation is in progress,” Chinar Corps, Indian Army said on X.

One Terrorist Associate Apprehended

In another development on Tuesday, Jammu and Kashmir police along with 22RR and 92 BN of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) apprehended one terrorist associate identified as Ashiq Hussain Wani who is a resident of Tujar Shareef in J-K’s Sopore, said police.

On November 3, twelve people, including one woman, were injured in a grenade attack at the Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) and weekly market in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar on Sunday, police said.

On November 2, two terrorists were killed by security forces during an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district. The encounter broke out after security forces initiated an anti-terrorist operation in the Halkan Gali area.

On October 29, the security forces neutralised three terrorists in a high-stakes encounter in Akhnoor, Jammu, and Kashmir, following an attack on an Army convoy.

On October 20, a doctor and six construction workers were killed when terrorists attacked a tunnel construction site on the Srinagar-Leh national highway in the Ganderbal district.

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