BJP's Manjinder Singh Sirsa files police complaint against Alt News cofounder Zubair over tweet
New Delhi, Sep 5: BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa has filed a police complaint against fact checker and co-founder of Alt News website Mohammed Zubair, accusing him of "spreading hate" against cricketer Arshdeep Singh and the Sikh community with his tweet.
The player became a victim of vicious trolling on social media after he dropped a catch during India's five-wicket loss to arch-rival Pakistan in the Super four match of the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.
In his complaint filed at the Parliament Street police station, Sirsa cited a tweet by Zubair where he had shared screenshots of tweets against Singh posted on various handles.
The BJP leader claimed that most of these tweets were from ''Pakistani accounts'' and alleged that Zubair had acted at the behest of "anti-national elements".
He demanded that an FIR be filed against him and an investigation launched to unearth the conspiracy.
"Mohammed Zubair acting in connivance with anti-national elements across the border has cleverly taken screenshots from Twitter of various Twitter handles after searching with the word- Khalistani and has then posted a tweet at 00:05 hours on September 5, 2022 combining all these tweets," he alleged.
Sirsa alleged that Zubair was "trying to portray that such abusive and malicious tweets were posted by Indian Twitter handles, whereas the reality is that most of these Twitter accounts are Pakistani accounts".
He claimed some were created just for the purpose of this tweet, "'the sole intention behind which was to spread hate against a nationalist and national level player who has given his heart and soul playing for the country and also against the entire Sikh community."
Zubair was arrested on June 27 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through a tweet against a Hindu deity in 2018. He was in custody for 24 days on allegations of hate speech and is now out on bail.
Multiple FIRs were lodged against Zubair in Uttar Pradesh -- two in Hathras and one each in Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad and Chandauli.
He was released after the Supreme Court granted him interim bail, saying the "exercise of the power of arrest must be pursued sparingly".
Police complaint agnst @zoo_bear who worked with Pak agencies to set “Khalistani” narrative agnst #ArshdeepSingh in India. Zubair’s screenshots were used by Pak handles to defame India and fuel hate campaign against Sikhs in India. He was a part of planned conspiracy agnst Sikhs pic.twitter.com/wtQAdr8May
— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) September 5, 2022
His screenshots were used by Pak handles to defame India and fuel hate campaign against Sikhs in India. This is a planned conspiracy to create communal disharmony in our nation. We demand an enquiry into who supported Zubair in creating this “Khalistani” agenda@ANI @PTI_News pic.twitter.com/DeXoOHrIqK
— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) September 5, 2022
I have filed a police complaint against @zoo_bear as he was a part of Pak’s conspiracy to defame Sikhs and fuel hate campaign against Sikhs in India. His screenshots are used by Pak handles. I have demanded enquiry into who supported Zubair in creating this “Khalistani” agenda pic.twitter.com/xtc5U5yEsj
— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) September 5, 2022
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Catholic Bishops' body slams Bhagwat's remarks
New Delhi: The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India on Thursday slammed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for his reported remark that Pranab Mukherjee, when he was President, had said tribals would turn "anti-national" if there is no "ghar wapsi"Catholic Bishops.'
In a statement issued here, CBCI, a body of Catholic Bishops, referred to reports which said Bhagwat, at an event on Monday, claimed that Mukherjee, while he was President had appreciated ghar wapsi and told him that had it not been for the Sangh's work on reconversion, a section of Adivasis would have turned "anti-national".The CBCI called the report "shocking".
"Fabricated personal conversation being attributed to a former president of India and its posthumous publication with the vested interest of an organization with questionable credibility raises a grave issue of national importance," the CBCI claimed.
"Is it not the violent ghar wapsi program of VHP and other similar organizations, curtailing the exercise of freedom of conscience of economically deprived tribals, the real anti-national activity?" it asked.
'Ghar wapsi' is a term used by the RSS and affiliated organisations to refer to reconversion of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism, based on the belief that they were originally Hindus before converting to other religions.
The CBCI also questioned why Bhagwat did not speak about it while Mukherjee was alive.
"We, the 2.3 percent of Indian citizens who are Christians feel extremely hurt by such manipulated and motivated propaganda unleashed," it said.
In a post on X following the statement issued by CBCI, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien said, "Speak up. This is a start!"
"Bishops body have issued a statement condemning remarks made by Dr Mohan Bhagwat and RSS for defaming the Christian community," he said.
O'Brien added that they should ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi more questions, including why Christmas Day has been turned into "Good Governance Day".
The TMC leader, in a blogpost earlier this month, had said "hard questions" must be asked to the government with regards to the Christian community, including why the FCRA has been 'weaponised', and why has Manipur been 'ignored'.
