Days after an FIR against journalist Maridhas was quashed by the Madras HC, the Tamil Nadu state has decided to arrest the journalist yet again – this time over an old video where he was seen criticising Tablighi Jamaat. On Thursday, Tamil Nadu police arrested Maridhas over a year old video and continued to the persecution of a journalist the government disagrees with.
Maridhas’ Thursday arrest was under the FIR on a complaint filed by an office-bearer of Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam for his YouTube post linking Tablighi Jamaat members spreading coronavirus. The FIR was filed on 4th August 2020.
Maridhas was booked under sections 292(A) (publishing grossly indecent or scurrilous matter or matter intended for blackmail), 295(A) (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 505(ii) (statement creating or promoting enmity or ill-will between classes) of the IPC and 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act.
Interestingly, while the state of Tamil Nadu has arrested journalist Maridhas for speaking against Tablighi Jamaat, the group is already banned in Saudi Arabia, the capital of Islam. Calling it a dangerous organisation and the “gate of terrorism”, Saudi Arabia had recently warned clerics, Imams and Muslims against affiliating with this group.
Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr Abdullatif Al_Alsheikh has given a direction to the Mosques in Saudi Arabia to reserve the Friday sermon for warning the people against the partisan groups of Tablighi Jamat and Da’wah existing in the country.
The Islamic Affairs Ministry recently mentioned religious partisan groups of Tablighi and Da’wah in the tweet. While Tablighi groups such as the Tablighi Jamaat preach Muslims to return to the pure form of Sunni Islam, Da’wah groups engage in inviting all people including Muslims and non-Muslims and divulging how the worship of Allah (God) is mentioned in the Quran and Islam.
Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs further stated that the Friday sermon must declare the misguidance given by such Tablighi groups and called them threats to society and one of the gates that lead to terrorism.
While even Saudi Arabia agrees that groups like Tablighi Jamaat are “gates to terrorism”, the Tamil Nadu government, after a complaint filed by Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam worker, has arrested a journalist for merely talking about the truth.
Madras HC quashes FIR against Maridhas
On December 14, the Madras High Court quashed an FIR registered by the Madurai city cybercrime Police against YouTuber Maridhas over a tweet. In the order, Justice GR Swaminathan said that the offences mentioned in the FIR were not made in the tweet.
Maridhas had posted a tweet after the IAF Chopper crash in which former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Late General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others lost their lives. In the tweet, he said, “Is TN turning into another Kashmir under the DMK regime?” Later he had deleted the tweet. However, a complaint was filed against him by Balakrishnan, a functionary of DMK.
In another tweet, Maridhas alleged that many DMK supporters have been posting emojis mocking the death of an army commander in the accident. “They do this every time”, wrote the YouTuber adding that DMK is the “best choice for separatist forces”. This Tweet was available at the time of writing this report. It was based on these tweets that he was arrested for sedition and was released after Madras HC quashed the FIR.
