Journalist Mohammed Zubair booked for 'disclosing' identity of Muslim boy slapped in classroom

Mohammad Zubair/Socials

In Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, an FIR was filed against Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of Alt News, for allegedly revealing the identity of a seven-year-old Muslim boy who was slapped by his classmates under the instruction of their teacher. Zubair is charged under Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act, based on a report submitted by Vishnudutt. This law imposes penalties for disclosing the identity of a child who is either a victim or a witness to a crime. The possible consequences for those found guilty include a maximum of six months in prison or a fine of up to Rs 2 lakh.

The FIR claims that Zubair shared a video of the incident on social media, thereby exposing the boy's identity. In response, Zubair told Scroll that he felt singled out and highlighted that he had taken down the video after the head of the National Commission for Protection Of Child Rights, Priyank Kanoongo, requested that the video not be shared. Zubair also pointed out that although various individuals and media outlets shared the video, he was the only one named in the FIR. He noted the existence of other videos showing the boy's identity, including one where the boy is seen hugging his classmates.

The incident, where the Muslim boy was struck by his peers, gained significant attention on social media on August 24th. It took place at Neha Public School in Muzaffarnagar and involves Tripta Tyagi, the school's owner and the teacher captured in the video instructing the boy's classmates to hit him. In the video, Tyagi can be heard saying, "I have declared that all these Muslim children go to anyone's area." Subsequently, she instructs another boy to strike the Muslim student on his back, saying, "Start hitting him on the waist... His face is turning red, hit him on the waist, everyone."

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Tyagi is officially charged under Sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code. However, the legal proceedings against her have been initiated with non-cognizable charges, meaning the police cannot arrest her without a warrant, and court permission is required to begin an investigation.

Early this year, Zubair received a flurry of online threats from several pro-Hindutva influencers, with some even inciting violence against the journalist. The threats ranged from those demanding lone wolf attacks against Zubair to seeking "extrajudicial steps" against him.