Right-wing handle leaks Zubair’s personal info, threatens to send pork

Fact-checker and Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair on Monday, 12 May, alleged that he had received threats of pork being sent to his residence from a right-wing media handle called Cyber Huntss, and that his personal information, including his address and phone number, had been leaked online.

Zubair, who took to the social media platform X to make the allegation, tagged Karnataka Chief Minister M Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, and senior police officers in Bengaluru, urging them to take strict action, The Siasat Daily reported.

He claimed that this is not the first instance of such harassment, stating that a similar threat was made against him in 2023 by the same individual, who had allegedly sent pork to his address and made the shipping information public on social media.

The earlier incident had led to an FIR, but Zubair said it was eventually closed without further action, raising concerns over the effectiveness of legal safeguards in place for journalists and fact-checkers facing online threats. The recent post by Cyber Huntss has since been deleted, but it has reportedly been amplified by other Hindutva-aligned social media accounts, including Paise Wala and Hindutva Knight.

Zubair, who is known for debunking misinformation that fuels communal tensions, has frequently been the target of abuse and threats from Hindutva groups due to the nature of his work. His recent efforts include exposing disinformation from Pakistan’s military following the Pahalgam terror attack of 22 April, which left 26 people dead and heightened tensions between the two countries.

Zubair was previously arrested in June 2022 by Delhi Police over a 2018 tweet alleged to have insulted Hindu religious sentiments, an action that drew widespread criticism from press freedom advocates and opposition leaders.