Indian police arrest editor over Charlie Hebdo reprint

Published January 29, 2015
— Reuters/file
— Reuters/file

MUMBAI: Police have arrested and bailed the editor of an Urdu-language newspaper in Mumbai for reprinting an anti-Islam cartoon from satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo, police said Thursday.

Shirin Dalvi, editor of the Mumbai edition of the daily Avadhnama newspaper, was arrested by police in the town of Mumbra in Thane district, close to the financial capital.

The editor was arrested under section 295A of the Indian Penal Code, which bans malicious and deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings.

Read: Editor among 12 killed in attack on Paris weekly

“She was arrested by us, produced in the court and granted bail. We are investigating the matter,” S.M. Mundhe, senior police inspector in Mumbra, told AFP.

The Indian Express said several readers approached police in Mumbai and Thane after Urdu paper Avadhnama reprinted the Charlie Hebdo cover image, which was published after gunmen stormed the magazine's offices in Paris on January 7 and killed 12 people.

Also read: This week's Charlie Hebdo to feature more anti-Islam cartoons

Mundhe did not confirm details of the Charlie Hebdo cover in question and AFP was unable to reach staff who could comment at Avadhnama, which has several editions across India.

Last week, tens of thousands across Muslim-majority India-held Kashmir, Afghanistan and Pakistan took to the streets to protest against the Charlie Hebdo's cartoons.

Opinion

Editorial

Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...
Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...