Ghaziabad Police Lodges FIR Against Twitter, Congress Leaders And Journalists Over Assault On Man In Viral Video

The Ghaziabad Police has lodged an FIR against AltNews journalist Mohammad Zubair, journalist Rana Ayub, media organisation The Wire, Congress's Salman Nizami, Maskoor Usmani and Shama Mohamed, writer Saba Naqvi and social media giant Twitter INC and Twitter Communications India PVT, over a video that went viral on social media.

A video of an older man went viral where the man was alleging assault in Loni, Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh. The attackers were seen in the video cutting off the man's beard. The man also alleged that he was forced to chant 'Jai Shree Ram' and that the assailant targeted him because of his religion.

The FIR lodged by Naresh Singh, sub-inspector, Loni Border police station, invoked Section 153 (provocation for rioting), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 295A (acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 505 (mischief), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) under IPC, against the accused.

FIR Lodged By The Man Who Was Assaulted

On June 7, Abdul Samad Saifi (72), the man allegedly assaulted on June 5, lodged an FIR against unidentified persons. He stated that the alleged assailants offered him an auto ride and later beat him up after taking him to an isolated spot and forced him to chant 'Jai Shree Ram.'

On the other hand, the police said that the three accused in the case - Parvesh Gujjar, Kallu Gujjar and Aadil had attacked Samad because he sold them an amulet that they believed caused the miscarriage of a family member. The police also clarified that the accused had already been arrested for assaulting Samad, who lives in Bulandshahr as reported by The Wire.

Journalists, Politicians And Twitter Accused Of Inciting Communal Tension

The FIR lodged by the Ghaziabad Police stated that despite clarifying the matter, the tweets were not removed by the accused, nor were they deleted by the Twitter authorities, as per a report byThe Indian Express.

"It is expected that members with positions of influence in the society will try to establish the truth and use their discretion while giving out information. They (accused) have a duty towards society. In this case, the tweets were not verified which gave a communal angle of the incident despite being untrue," read the FIR.

The FIR also stated that the tweets were circulated in large numbers and were done to disturb the peace of the society, create tension, and invoke fear among a particular community. It further affirmed that the journalists and politicians made no efforts to establish the truth.

Also Read: Fact Check: Video Of A Man Brutally Being Thrashed Shared With Communal Claim