Latest news with #MohammedZubair
Al Bawaba
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Why did India block Reuters' main X account?
ALBAWABA - According to social media users, India has blocked the main X account for the International news agency "Reuters", and the "Reuters World" X account. However, sources revealed that other Reuters X accounts, including Reuters Fact Check, Reuters Asia and Reuters Tech News, can still be reached, and the block only targeted the main account and the Reuters World account. The Economic Times said that the Reuters website was not blocked as of Sunday, July 6. However, it is unknown whether it will be blocked soon or not. (Photos shared by Mohammed Zubair on X showing a message appears to Indian users when they attempt to visit Reuters accounts.) Why did India block Reuters' X account? The reason behind the block of Reuters' main X account is unknown yet, as no official statement was released by the Indian authorities, nor did Reuters share anything regarding the block in New Delhi. But when people try to reach it, a message appears reading: "@Reuters has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand."
Indian Express
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Gag on freedom of expression shouldn't be a bail condition
Written by Shivani Vij A gag order restricts a person's ability to speak. Courts issue such orders, either preventively or punitively, to limit free expression. In a liberal democracy like India, where free speech is a cornerstone, gag orders are especially questionable, particularly when imposed as a bail condition. Recently, the criminal cases involving Ranveer Allahabadia (2025) and Ali Khan Mahmudabad (2025), along with the Supreme Court's controversial bail condition of 'no further speech', have faced strong public criticism. Such prior restraint not only sets a troubling precedent but also contradicts the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in Mohammed Zubair's case, where a three-judge bench explicitly deemed gag orders unconstitutional. First, Ranveer Allahabadia, who is facing prosecution for his comments in the show India's Got Latent, was granted interim protection from arrest, however, on the condition that 'he or his associates shall not air any show on YouTube or any other audio/video mode of communication'. Further, he was required to provide an undertaking that his digital podcast would adhere to the so-called standards of decency and morality. Second, Mohammad Amir Ahmad (also known as Ali Khan Mahmudabad), who is facing prosecution for his social media posts on the recent terror attacks in India, was also granted interim bail on the condition that he would be 'restrained from expressing any opinion in relation to the terrorist attack on Indian soil or the counter response'. Significance of the Mohammed Zubair case These orders must be analysed in the context of Mohammed Zubair. The counsel for the State of Uttar Pradesh argued that Zubair, of Alt News, be barred from tweeting when he is on bail. The State seemed to have thought that it would advance a fair trial and proper investigation. Or perhaps it presumed the accused's guilt at the FIR stage itself and that any further tweets would cause public unrest, despite conducting no inquiry or assessment on whether the statements actually constituted incitement. Rejecting this entirely, the court held that a gag order neither fits the illustrative bail conditions under Sections 437 and 438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, nor does it have any nexus to a proper investigation or to secure the attendance of the accused. Besides, a blanket order asking the accused not to express his opinion, which he is entitled to as a citizen, is disproportionate and has a chilling effect on freedom of speech. It is unusual that the Supreme Court overlooked the significant precedent set in Zubair while issuing the recent gag orders. The Court also appeared to disregard the principle that bail conditions must be directly related to the ongoing investigation and its subject matter. There is no clear justification for how restricting future speech would assist in probing past media posts. Even if a later statement or comment incites public reaction, it would trigger a separate criminal case, rather than being linked to the existing one, which has already taken place. A right at the cost of another The prior restraining orders also seem to suggest that to uphold liberty under Article 21, the Court finds it necessary to limit free speech and the right to conduct business or practice a profession (Article 19(1)(g)), which has happened in these two cases. Such an interpretation significantly broadens the scope of reasonable restrictions under Article 21, effectively amounting to judicial censorship and infringing on other fundamental rights, particularly when the accused has not been found guilty in a court of law. This also bears similarities to preventive detention orders, which restrict a person's movement when there is a risk of crime or a threat to public safety; the key difference being that gag orders prevent the person from speaking, ostensibly to avoid harmful speech. It is rather odd that bail conditions in ordinary IPC/BNS offences have gathered the essence of preventive orders, which were meant to primarily safeguard law and order situations. Even the recent verdict in Wikimedia v ANI (2025) reiterates that it is not the court's domain to tell media houses what to say and what to delete or take down, with the only exception being postponement orders, which restrain media houses from delaying the reporting of a case. However, even those are for a limited duration and passed sparingly, only where there is a real and substantial risk of prejudice to trial (Sahara v SEBI). The recent gag orders are no doubt a disproportionate restriction on granting bail and should not become the practice of the highest constitutional court in the country, which is often adopted by the district courts and high courts. The writer is a Supreme Court advocate
Hindustan Times
13-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Alt News Co-founder Mohammed Zubair seeks Bengaluru police action over repeat threats, address leak: Report
Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of the fact-checking website Alt News, has approached the Bengaluru police after his personal information, including his residential address and phone number, was leaked on social media, triggering fresh threats to his safety, The Hindu reported. According to the report, in a complaint filed on May 13, Zubair alleged that unknown individuals threatened to send pork to his home, a move he described as a targeted attempt to incite religious hatred. 'This is not the first time such harassment has taken place,' Zubair said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). 'The same individual sent pork to my address in 2023 and had shared the shipping details online. I hope the police take this threat seriously this time.' (Also Read: 'Pakistani drones sent back for not knowing Kannada': X user mocks Bengaluru port claim) He added that a previous FIR filed on the issue was closed without significant action, the report added. Zubair further revealed that several right-wing accounts had circulated his contact details, with at least one X handle, @Cyber_Huntss, calling for pork to be delivered to his home. Zubair called the act an intentional provocation aimed at deepening communal divisions, and requested police protection in light of ongoing threats to his life. Zubair has been a frequent target of online abuse, often facing hostility for his work debunking misinformation and communal propaganda. This latest episode comes amid heightened online tensions following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam and the ongoing military operation codenamed 'Operation Sindoor,' both of which have inflamed nationalist rhetoric across digital platforms. Several social media users have come out in support of Zubair, urging the authorities, including the Bengaluru Commissioner of Police and the Director General of Police, Karnataka, to ensure his safety and pursue a thorough investigation. Zubair's complaint has been filed with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (East Division), and he hopes this time the matter will not be brushed aside. (Also Read: Bengaluru, Karnataka brace for rainy week as IMD issues yellow alert)
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Misinformation floods Indian and Pakistani social media as officials keep quiet
A torrent of misinformation is flooding social media as escalating tensions between India and Pakistan raise fears of a major military conflict in South Asia. Mislabelled videos, recycled images and fake public advisories are taking over the information landscape, leaving hundreds of millions of anxious observers in a lurch over what to believe. Factcheckers, government agencies and digital forensics experts have been working around the clock since the early hours of 7 May to debunk a deluge of viral content being posted in the wake of India's missile strikes on Pakistan. Key pieces of misinformation include fake photos and videos circulated as footage from the airstrikes and unverified claims and counterclaims from the governments of the nuclear-armed neighbours. Several news channels and journalists have fallen for fake videos and claims, amplifying unconfirmed information at a time when cross-border attacks and shelling, mock drills, and sirens blasted from loudspeakers are causing mass panic One of the most widely circulated videos – depicting missiles streaking across the night sky – was aired by multiple Indian news channels that claimed it showed Indian strikes in Bahawalpur. However, factchecker Alt News reported the footage was from an Israeli airstrike on Gaza in October 2023. A reverse image search traced the clip to a Sputnik Armenia report of 13 October 2023. BBC Verify also confirmed that the video had nothing to do with the South Asian conflict. Prominent Indian and Pakistani journalists amplified the mislabelled clip on X, with captions suggesting it showed the strike in Bahawalpur. Alt News, which has debunked dozens of such false claims over the last two days, said this was a 'clear-cut case of recycled footage misrepresented as breaking news'. Amid claims of Indian drone attacks on Thursday in Pakistan, an old video from the Texas fires began doing the rounds on X, only to be debunked by factcheckers. Old video from Texas — Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) May 7, 2025 Other false claims used AI imagery or visuals pulled from conflicts in Gaza or Ukraine. One set of images purporting to show the strikes turned out to be from a YouTube simulation. Unverified claims and counterclaims have also left people confused as each country has sought to shape the narrative in its favour. False stories from the Pakistani side have included an alleged airstrike on the Srinagar airbase and the destruction of an Indian army brigade headquarters. India's Press Information Bureau said the supposed video from Srinagar actually showed sectarian clashes in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from early 2024. Reporters and local residents also confirmed that there was no sign of an attack at the airbase in the restive Kashmir region. 'There has been a marked spike in misinformation since 3am on May 7,' a Press Information Bureau official told Hindustan Times. 'We are working 24/7 to counter each falsehood.' A 37-second clip showing smoke, fire and gunfire was widely shared on May 7 as supposed footage of Pakistan's retaliation to the Indian strikes, with claims ranging from downed Indian jets to a blown-up brigade HQ. However, Alt News confirmed the video predated the strikes and had been circulating online since at least April 27. Another widely shared clip, claiming to show Pakistani jets striking Indian territory, was revealed to be footage from the video game Battlefield 3. Some posts even repurposed images from unrelated Indian air force crashes in 2021 and 2024. BBC Verify found that even viral online clips, including one from the 2020 Beirut port explosion, were being misrepresented as evidence of Pakistani retaliation. In the absence of official footage and confirmation, confusion has persisted over downed Indian jets, including a Rafale. India has denied losing any aircraft, but Pakistan has continued to assert that it successfully responded to the strikes by downing Indian jets. On Thursday, Pakistan's military claimed to have downed 12 Indian drones targeting major urban centres, including Lahore and Karachi. Indian officials did not comment on this claim. The Indian government flagged another piece of misinformation – a fake advisory circulating online that appeared to mimic civil defence protocols, urging citizens to stock up on food and medicines. The advisory was not issued by any government agency. The Press Information Bureau labelled it 'FAKE' and urged citizens to trust only official sources for updates about the military operation. It also cautioned against 'Pakistan-linked accounts' attempting to 'flood the information space with falsehoods so quickly and overwhelmingly that it becomes difficult to separate fact from fiction'. As of Thursday, the bureau's factcheck unit had issued at least 21 public clarifications. Factcheckers continued to warn that in a highly polarised environment, recycled content and AI fakes were now central to information warfare. 'Algorithmic engagement rewards dramatic content over accurate content,' Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins told BBC Verify. 'Old footage from unrelated wars is often used to provoke emotional reactions.'
The Print
08-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Rafale's Sindoor strike thrilled TV war rooms—'Painted Pakistan red', ‘Dharam bata diya'
Something 'big' had happened in the silence of the night. As channels screened visuals of the attack, anchors welcomed each strike: First missile, second missile, first set of visuals, second set of visuals…. 'Don't go away,' ordered the commander-in-chief of the armed and dangerous TV news brigade, Arnab Goswami. 'Watch… listen…see the great balls of fire…' ( Republic TV ). The television news anchors were beyond happy: They were ecstatic. As Indian missiles struck nine 'terrorist camps' in Pakistan, they couldn't contain their joy. If they could have, they would have clapped and jumped like little children who've been given their favourite toy. And indeed, we did see, maybe not 'balls of fire' but certainly small bulbs that lit up the sky and then fell and exploded into flames. Throughout 7 May, news channels studied visuals of the attack sites, dissected them, analysed them and finally came to the conclusion that 'Justice is served' (DD News)—much like the Indian Army's post on X while announcing the strike early in the morning. In other words, this was 'Bharat ka Badla', which Hindi channels like TV9 Bharatvarsh and several English news channels had demanded over the past fortnight. They had built up expectations so high with their demands to wipe out Pakistan, 'pulverise' Pakistan, 'destroy' Pakistan that when Operation Sindoor took place early 7 May, it seemed mild in comparison to their doomsday scenarios. Remember 'Mitti me mila denge', 'Choor choor kar denge,' 'Ghar mein ghus kar maarenge'? The channels had played out far grander revenge scenarios in their studios, daily. The channels had heavily armed troops, rumbling tanks, aircraft and helicopters zooming in and out, sirens going off as explosions exploded everywhere—Pakistan was 'choor choor.' Also read: India's Chief of Information War during Op Sindoor night was fact-checker Mohammed Zubair Anchors welcome the attack The anchors were the commanding officers urging India forward into battle. Channels such as Zee, TV9 Bharatvarsh, Times Now Navbharat, and Republic TV even invited Pakistani journalists and 'strategic experts' to their debates so they could riddle them with verbal bullets. Now the action was for real and they welcomed it with folded hands: 'Jai Hind,' said Aaj Tak. Republic Bharat went one better—'Bharat Mata ki Jai'. Others were equally pleased: 'India strikes Pakistan,' exulted India Today. 'India strikes Pakistan hard,' said Republic TV. 'Our Rafales avenge Pahalgam, bleed terroristan,' wrote Times Now. 'Paints the ground red in Pakistan,' said TV9 Bharatvarsh. Hindi news channels were more colourful in their exaggerated descriptions: 'Pakistan chaknachoor,' said ABP News. 'Na bhoola, na chhoda. Ghar mein ghuske maara,' it added. Twenty-four missions in 25 minutes wasn't enough for some anchors—'This is just the Rafale trailer,' said the Zee Bharat anchor. 'Picture abhi baaki hai.' Or take Major Gaurav Arya (retd), for instance. Once a regular on Republic TV, he has shifted loyalties to Times Now and was as thirsty as Hindi news channels claimed people in Pakistan were after India put the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance and stopped the flow of water across the border. He said he wanted Pakistan to 'attack' India so that India could have an excuse to 'hammer Pakistan into submission.' And then there was this headline-comment from Times Now Navbharat: 'Dharam Bata Diya' (We showed them our religion)—a nod to the question terrorists in Pahalgam had reportedly asked victims before killing them. Channels 'rained hell' on Pakistan Several channels claimed that up to '100 terrorists' had been killed in 'Operation Sindoor'. Without names, this wasn't something the channels could latch onto. But wild elation erupted in studios when news filtered in that Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar's family had been all but wiped out in the Indian attack. Anchor Rubika Liyaquat on News 18 India announced, in a loud voice, 'They are all dead!' 'Breaking War' on ABP News devoted ample time to an unsigned message, reportedly from the terrorist, claiming that his close family members had been killed in the attack on Bahawalpur; other channels joined in celebration: 'Masood's terror clan wiped out,' wrote Times Now. 'Masood is crying tears of blood,' declared TV9 Bharatvarsh. The usually sedate NDTV 24×7 revised its vocabulary to suit the occasion: By Wednesday afternoon, it was speaking of India's 'hellfire on Pakistan'. This is straight out of the Times Now dictionary—'25 minutes 24 missiles rain hell on Pakistan.' DD News, which normally reports in boringly factual language, has also been taking lessons from private news channels: Pakistan's 'back broken,' it said and the visuals it telecast were filled with computer generated images (CGI) of fighter aircraft, missiles and buildings going up in flames. No answer to 'what next' but stay vigilant India had used its Rafale jets for a lightning strike, but there was heavy duty analysis in TV studio 'war rooms' all day. Panel after panel of retired army officers and strategic writers discussed and debated the video proof of the attacks, all Wednesday. They spoke of 'Operation Sindoor' and then asked, 'What next?' Obviously, nobody knew the answer to that but we were warned to be prepared—what with Pakistan's threats of retaliation and its history of hitting 'soft' civilian targets: 'Take it seriously,' said Lt Gen Devendra Pandey (retd) on Times Now. 'We must be vigilant.' Besides these, there were interviews with the public, especially in Kashmir. Zee News asked people who lived near the Line of Control: 'Are you happy (with the attacks)?' 'Yes,' came the reply each time. News channels also spoke to some family members of those killed in the Pahalgam attack – Shubham Dwivedi's wife Aishanya expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the armed forces for Operation Sindoor. When asked about the PM naming the operation, she told Times Now that perhaps the PM had understood the pain she and others felt on losing their loved ones. That the PM had chosen the name of the operation was treated as 'very sensitive information' by TV9 Bharatvarsh which took the analogy forward: India had painted Pakistan red, it said. Republic Bharat termed the Indian attack as 'Sindoor ka badla' while News 18 India said it was 'Betiyon ke suhaag ka badla'. Badla. Revenge: that was the message on TV news.
