Mohammad Zubair, Rana Ayyub, Saba Naqvi, Salman Nizami, Maskoor Usmani, Shama Mohammad

HRD, Journalist and Political activist

Ghaziabad

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on June 22, 2021, regarding misuse of the law to register fabricated FIRs against journalists, media organizations and political activists. 

Mr. Abdul Samad Saifi, a 72-year-old man narrated his ordeal in a Facebook live video that he was traveling in an auto-rickshaw and was intercepted by two people who took him to a forested area, abused him, cut his beard, and also forced him to chant ‘Jai Sri Ram'. This live Facebook video was shared by various media houses as well as the said HRDs via social media on June 5, 2021

Sub Inspector Mr. Naresh Singh at Loni Border police station, Ghaziabad registered an FIR under sections IPC-153, 153(A), 295 (A), 505, 120(B), and 34 against Mr. Mohammad Zubair, Ms. Rana Ayyub, Ms. Saba Naqvi, The Wire (Media Group), Mr. Salman Nizami, Mr. Maskoor Usmani, Dr. Shama Mohammad, Twitter Inc, and Twitter Communication India Private Limited, for posting the said video. 

The FIR act against journalist, media organization, and political activist for writing about the hate crime against citizen practicing Islam as a religion and tweeting information about a hate crime based on evidence by established journalists is not against the law. This FIR indicates that the law is being misused by the State to silence journalists and activists by creating political pressure as well as violated the right to freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19 A of the Indian Constitution.