Actress Shweta Tiwari booked for insulting religion as remark sparks controversy

Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra earlier asked the Bhopal police commissioner to inquire into the matter and take action

Updated on: Jan 28, 2022, 16:40:04 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh Police late on Thursday booked actress Shweta Tiwari for insulting religion and hurting religious feelings over a controversial comment that she made during a press conference in Bhopal on Wednesday as part of the promotion of a web series.

The actress had made a remark referring to her innerwear and god.

State home minister Narottam Mishra earlier asked the Bhopal Police commissioner to inquire into the matter and take action. On Friday, he said Tiwari has been booked under the Indian Penal Code’s Section 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting religion or religious beliefs).

A video of Tiwari’s comment went viral on social media and members of Sanskriti Bachao Manch staged a protest in Bhopal and demanded action against her on Thursday. Later, Bhopal resident Sonu Prajapati filed a complaint against her.

Deputy police commissioner Riyaz Iqbal said they filed the case against Tiwari on the complaint of Prajapati. “Now we have asked the manager of the hotel, where the press conference was held to share the video footage so that we can investigate the matter. Further action will be taken after the investigation.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More