UP government sets up SIT panel to probe cases related to Zubair

The two-member SIT has been empowered to nominate or include other members in the investigation team in the rank of police officers such as Inspector, Deputy SP, or SSP.

Lucknow: The Home department of the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a two-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the matter related to Alt News co-founder and fact-checker, Mohammed Zubair. An order to this effect was issued by the UP Home department on Tuesday.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had extended till further orders the interim bail of Mohammed Zubair in a case lodged against him in the Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh for putting out a tweet around four years ago that allegedly outraged religious sentiments.

The two-member SIT comprising Inspector General (Prisons) Preetinder Singh and DIG Amit Verma will investigate the issues related to Zubair. IG (Prisons) Preetinder Singh has been appointed chairman of the SIT while DIG Amit Verma has been made a member of the special probing team.

Read:SC extends fact-checker Zubair's interim bail, Patiala Court defers plea

Besides, the two-member SIT has been empowered to nominate or include other members in the investigation team in the rank of police officers such as Inspector, Deputy SP, or SSP. Apart from this, the SIT has been given power for seeking assistance from Sitapur, Hathras, Lakhimpur Khiri, Ghaziabad, and Muzaffarnagar police, if that was needed while carrying out the investigation.

There were several cases pending against Zubair for hurting religious sentiments, in different districts' police stations in UP such as Sitapur, Lakhimpur Khiri, Hathras, and Muzaffarnagar.