The Uttar Pradesh police have filed a case against journalist Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of Alt News on Monday, August 28, for sharing the video of a Muslim kid being slapped by fellow classmates following instructions from class teacher Tripta Tyagi. The case was registered in Mansurpur police station, Muzaffarnagar district, under Section 74 (prohibition on disclosure of identity of children) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
The complaint was filed by one person identified as Vishnu Dutt, who claimed that Zubair had violated the victim’s rights by exposing his identity. “It has come to my knowledge that in the video, the victim boy’s identity has been exposed by AltNews journalist Mohammed Zubair. This violates the boy’s rights as per the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act,” the complainant wrote.
On August 25, Zubair had shared the video of Tripta Tyagi using slurs against the victim, who belongs to a Muslim community, and asking fellow classmates to slap him harder. The incident took place in Neha Public School, Khubbapur. The video of the inhumane act went viral and provoked outrage.
Suspecting a targeted attack against him, Zubair told TNM, “I am the only one named in the FIR though many others including media outlets have posted the same video onlin thee. I removed the video as soon as the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) asked users to stop circulating it.” Earlier, NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo had asked for legal action against people who were sharing the video of the incident.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Education Department has ordered the closure of Neha Public School, following outrage. According to authorities, the school did not have the requisite permission to run the school. The Education Department said the students studying in the school will be shifted to other nearby private schools.