LUCKNOW The U.P. government on Tuesday formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for transparent investigations into six cases registered against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in various districts of the state, said officials.
Zubair is currently lodged in Tihar jail after the Delhi police arrested him on June 27 in connection with the FIR against him for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through a tweet in 2018.
ADG (law and order) Prashant Kumar said the SIT had been asked for a speedy probe and submit a chargesheet in the court. The team will supervise and probe all six cases registered against Zubair in Hathras, Ghaziabad, Muzaffarnagar, Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur.
Two cases were registered in Hathras while one each was lodged in Ghaziabad, Muzaffarnagar, Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur, he said.
The SIT is chaired by IG (prisons) Preetinder Singh and deputy IG Amit Verma as its members. The two officials will include other members including ASPs, DySPs and inspectors, said Kumar.
Another police official said the two FIRs against Zubair in Hathras included the one registered under IPC sections 147 for trying to cause riot, 149 for causing unlawful assembly with common intention, 153-A for promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, etc, 353 for
assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty, 188 for disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant, 120-B for criminal conspiracy and Section 7 of Criminal Law Amendment Act at Sikandrarau police station.
The second FIR was registered under IPC sections 153-A, 295-A for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage reli¬gious feelings of any class, 298 for uttering words, etc, with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person and Section 67 of the IT Act at City Kotwali, Hathras, said the official.
He said the third FIR was registered under IPC sections 153 for wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot, 153-A, 295-A, 505 for statements conducing to public mischief, 120-B and 34 for acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention at Loni Border police station of Ghaziabad. The fourth FIR was registered under IPC sections 192 for fabricating false evidence, 504 for insult with intent to provoke breach of peace and 506 for criminal intimidation at Charthawal police station of Muzaffarnagar.
He said two other cases were registered under IPC section 295-A and IT Act Section 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) at Khairabad police station of Sitapur and Section 153-A of the IPC at Mohammadi police station of Lakhimpur Kheri.