Anti-Hindu bias: Muslim 'journalist' spreads fake news on Gujarat University namaz row, maliciously portrays Hindus as aggressors
Delhi, India 
15 March, 2024
Case Summary
An anti-Hindu fake news was spread by Muslim journalist Mohammad Zubair, co-founder of Alt News, a rapidly left-leaning news outlet. The Muslim accused falsely claimed that Hindu students violently attacked Muslim students for offering namaz at the Gujarat University in Ahmedabad city. In an X post, Zubair claimed that Muslim students praying for Ramazan in Block A of their hostel were attacked by Hindu goons wielding sharp weapons. He shared videos purportedly showing violent Hindu students wearing orange scarves. In his post, Zubair wrote: “On Sunday (17 March 2024), an Afghan student speaking to ‘News Capital Gujarat’ said that 15 Muslim students were praying inside hostel Block A. Three people came and stopped them. After their prayers, the students asked what the problem was. The goons told them to chant religious slogans, then left and returned later with 200-250 people carrying knives and sticks. They pelted stones and broke motorcycles, laptops, phones, ACs, and sound systems.” However, the reality was quite different. The violence began when Hindu students asked the warden if it was the appropriate place to pray. Just for this reason, an Afghan Muslim student responded by slapping the Hindu student, which led to a commotion between Hindu and Muslim students. Instead of presenting this truth, Mohammad Zubair twisted facts to portray Hindus as the aggressors attacking Muslims for offering namaz. He also falsely claimed that Hindus forced the Muslim students to chant Hindu religious slogans, which was also a lie. This misinformation prompted a complaint to be filed against Zubair by lawyer Chandni Preeti Vijaykumar Shah from the cyber cell, stating that Zubair was trying to incite communal unrest. In her complaint, Shah explained that Zubair runs ALTNews and claims to be an independent fact-checker, but his deliberately provocative posts have the potential to stir communal tensions, especially ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. She detailed the post where Zubair distorted the incident. According to Shah, video evidence clearly showed what actually happened: a Muslim student praying stood up and slapped a Hindu student who was asking the warden if the place was appropriate for prayer. The violence started with the Muslim student’s action, and the subsequent events were a reaction to this. The complaint called for an FIR to be registered against Mohammad Zubair under sections related to disturbing public peace and inciting communal discord, and for appropriate legal action to be taken.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Hate Speech against Hindus. Within this, the subcategory selected is- Anti-subversion and prejudice. The tertiary category selected is- Anti-Hindu fake news or downplaying. Hate speech is defined as any speech, gesture, conduct, writing, or display that is prejudicial against a specific individual and/or group of people, which is leading to or may lead to violence, prejudicial action or hate against that individual and/or group. Media plays a specific and overarching reach in perpetuating prejudicial attitudes towards a community owing to unfair, untrue coverage and/or misrepresentation/misinterpretation, selective coverage and/or omission of facts of/pertaining to issues affecting a specific religious group. This type of bias can dehumanise the victim group, making it easier for others to justify harmful actions against them, which aligns with the objectives of hate speech laws aimed at preventing such harm. It is often observed that the media takes a prejudicial stand against the Hindu community driven by their need to shield the aggressor community which happens to be a numeric minority, however, is the one perpetrating violence against Hindus. For example, the media is often quick to contextualise religiously motivated crimes against Hindus, omit or misrepresent facts that point towards religiously motivated hate crimes, justify and/or downplay religiously motivated hate crimes or simply present fake news to stereotype Hindus. Such media bias leads to the denial of persecution and is often used to dehumanise Hindus, leading to justification for violence against them. For example, the media covered several fake allegations of Hindus targeting Muslims and forcing them to chant Jai Shree Ram. Most of these cases were proved false and fabricated after police investigation. These fake news reports were subsequently never retracted or clarified. Such fake news led to the justification of violence and dehumanisation of Hindus based on the argument that since Hindus targeted Muslims and forced them to chant Jai Shree Ram, the dehumanisation of Hindus and violence against them was par for the course and merely a retaliation. Such media bias leads to prejudicial portrayal of Hindus and offers a justification for violence against them and therefore, is considered hate speech under this category. In this case, Mohammad Zubair, co-founder of AltNews, deliberately twisted the narrative surrounding the Gujarat University incident, spreading false information that portrayed Hindus as the aggressors attacking Muslim students offering namaz. Zubair completely ignored the critical fact that the violence was initiated by a Muslim student from Afghanistan who slapped a Hindu youth merely for questioning the warden whether the place was appropriate for prayer. This act of unprovoked aggression by the Muslim student triggered a reaction from Hindu students who were defending themselves, not instigating violence. Despite this, Zubair portrayed Hindus as the villains and claimed that a large mob of Hindus attacked Muslims and forced them to chant Hindu religious slogans—an assertion for which there is no credible evidence. Mohammad Zubair's actions vividly showcase religious animosity, as he consciously spun a false narrative to depict Hindus as aggressors when in reality they were defending themselves against unprovoked violence from the Muslim student. By deliberately omitting the crucial detail that the violence was initiated by a Muslim student slapping a Hindu student, Zubair manipulated facts to fuel bias and hatred against the Hindu community. This distortion was not an innocent mistake but a targeted effort to malign Hindus and incite communal tensions. His propagation of a fabricated claim—stating a large mob of Hindus attacked Muslims and forced them to chant Hindu slogans—further deepens the prejudice and cements a hostile stereotype against Hindus. Such action goes beyond misinformation; it actively demonises a community, thereby encouraging broader societal bias and discrimination. This conduct reveals entrenched anti-Hindu prejudice, manifested through media influence. Such fabricated news fosters and amplifies anti-Hindu bias and tarnishes the image of the Hindu community, inviting suspicion and hostility from other communities and the wider world. The propagation of these false narratives risks inciting discrimination, social stigma, and potentially violence against Hindus, especially when such misinformation spreads widely and unchallenged. Given the deliberate distortion of facts by Mohammad Zubair to vilify Hindus and falsely portray Muslim victimhood, this case is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
