Shabbir Ahmed

Journalist

Tamil Nadu

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on 27 April regarding the complaint filed against Mr. Shabbir Ahmed who merely shared a cartoon on his Twitter profile. Mr. Shabbir is a journalist based in Chennai and is now the Deputy News Editor and Correspondent of the news channel ‘Times Now’.

On April 10, 2018, a journalist and cartoonist, Ms. Swathi Vadlamudi, from Hyderabad, had posted a cartoon on Twitter and Facebook regarding the recent rape incidents in Kathua and Unnao which made a reference to Hindu Gods. Mr. Ahmed had shared the cartoon on his Twitter account after which the Hindu Sanghatan, through its President Mr. Karuna Sagar Kashimshetty, filed a police complaint against him. A FIR with Crime No. 132/2018 dated April 13, 2018, has been registered at the Saidabad police station, Hyderabad against  him under Section 295 (a) of the Indian Penal Code (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).