Arrest of Indian Muslim journalist sparks widespread outrage

By SHEIKH SAALIQ
Associated Press

NEW DELHI (AP) — Police in India’s capital arrested a Muslim journalist Monday evening for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. Many have slammed the arrest as the latest example of shrinking press freedoms under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of fact-checking website Alt News, was arrested over a tweet that police said deliberately insulted “the god of a particular religion,” reported the Press Trust of India news agency. His arrest in New Delhi set off a wave of outrage, with activists, journalists and opposition politicians decrying it as harassment of the press while calling for his Zubair’s release. Indian journalists are facing increasing threats over their work. Some have been arrested under criminal charges for social media posts.