(Bloomberg) -- Indian police have arrested the head of a fact-checking portal who highlighted derogatory comments on Islam and Prophet Muhammad by two former officials of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, that angered Middle Eastern trading partners and triggered a diplomatic crisis.

Mohammad Zubair, who runs Alt News, was arrested in New Delhi for a 2018 tweet where he posted a screen-shot of an old Bollywood movie that played with the name of a Hindu god. The post could spark communal tension, Delhi Police told reporters late Monday.

The detention comes as Modi arrives in the United Arab Emirates Tuesday for a daylong visit, his first since the controversy over his party members’ remarks erupted earlier this month. 

The UAE Foreign Ministry, in a statement at the time, had said it “underscored the need to respect religious symbols and not violate them, as well as confront hate speech and violence.” India has recently signed a free trade agreement with the emirates, its third-largest trade partner. The deal is seen as a springboard for moving further on agreements with other Gulf Arab nations.

Zubair didn’t cooperate with the investigations and was taken into custody “to unravel” a possible conspiracy to incite religious tension, police said. The Union Home Ministry, that controls Delhi Police didn’t comment immediately.

This week India also joined the Group of Seven countries in Germany to promote a free media and protect “freedom of expression and opinion online and offline.”

Ahead of Modi’s visit to the UAE, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said “India’s position on this issue,” is understood and appreciated by the Gulf Countries. “We have explained this position and situation many times, through many forums and I don’t think there is any need to talk about this issue in any specific way.”

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has since suspended one member and expelled another who made the remarks against Islam and its prophet on two separate occasions during a TV debate and a social media exchange. 

“Indian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Mohammad Zubair, and cease harassing him in retaliation for his work,” the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement. Separately, several prominent Indian opposition leaders questioned the arrest and demanded his release immediately.

India has dropped sharply on the World Press Freedom Index, from 142 in 2021 to 150 this year. The arrest also highlights the widening breach between Modi’s party and religious minorities, especially Muslims.

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