Filmmaker Avinash Das held for posting picture of Amit Shah with IAS officer

The Gujarat police on Tuesday detained filmmaker Avinash Das over a social media post. Das had shared a photo of union home minister Amit Shah with IAS officer Pooja Singhal, who has been arrested by the enforcement directorate in a money laundering case, the Indian Express reported.

Das was detained from his home in Mumbai and, according to the Express, booked under sections of the penal code punishing forgery, section of the Information Technology Act and sections of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act.

The Gujarat police’s FIR against him reportedly states that Das shared the picture to “allegedly mislead the people and defame the reputation of Shah”. The picture was from a public function held in 2017.

Das had earlier petitioned the Bombay High court for pre-arrest bail plea but was turned down.

In May, the filmmaker was slapped with an FIR for insulting the national flag after he shared a morphed image of a woman wearing a tricolour on Facebook.

Das has been associated with NDTV and Prabhat Khabar and is known for the Bollywood film Anaarkali of Aarah.