YouTuber Maridhas was arrested by the cybercrime police in Madurai, Tamil Nadu on December 9, Thursday, following his social media post where he remarked on the Coonoor chopper crash in which the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 13 others were killed on Wednesday.
Correction | Tamil Nadu: A YouTuber, Maridhas has been arrested in Madurai for posting an alleged defamatory tweet, says Madurai City Police Commissioner
— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2021
Details awaited. pic.twitter.com/2CvqbHVbqb
Maridhas, who has 488 thousand followers on YouTube, inquired if Tamil Nadu was “becoming into Kashmir” under the DMK’s control in a tweet that he later deleted.
According to reports, the YouTuber allegedly claimed that the state gives freedom “to create a group that can do any level of treason against the country.” He also apparently claimed that “it is possible for any kind of plot to be hatched here.”
Insinuating foul play in the IAF chopper crash, Maridas said that there was a risk of a conspiracy forming when those who were disloyal to the country come together. He also remarked that the separatist forces had to be stopped.
In another tweet, Maridhas claimed 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.
திக திமுக ஆதரவாளர்கள் பலரும் இராணுவ தளபதி விபத்தில் மரணத்தைக் கேலி செய்யும் விதமாகப் பதிவுகள் இடுவதும், சிரிப்பதுமாக emoji போடுவதைக் காண முடிகிறது. ஒவ்வொரு முறையும் இதைச் செய்கிறார்கள்.
— Maridhas🇮🇳 (@MaridhasAnswers) December 9, 2021
பிரிவினைவாத சக்திகளுக்கு திமுக சிறந்த தேர்வாக இருந்துவருகிறது என்பது மறுக்க முடியாத உண்மை.
Following his social media post, the Madurai police went to his house in Surya Nagar of K Pudur in Tamil Nadu to arrest him.
While Islamists and many so-called liberals have brazenly been posting celebratory Tweets on the death of the CDS, reports suggest that Maridhas has been booked under sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and 505(2) (making statements with intent to cause public mischief, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public) of the Indian Penal Code, for pointing out the same through his Tweet.
According to reports, as the Madurai police reached the YouTuber’s house to arrest him, some BJP members gathered at the spot and refused to allow police to detain him. After the police took him away, these supporters reached the police station to demonstrate against the arbitrary arrest.
Deputy Commissioners TK Rajasekaran and Thangadurai, who reached the spot, brought the situation under control.
On December 8, an Indian Air Force Mi-17 V5 helicopter carrying General Bipin Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, and 13 others had a tragic crash that killed 13 persons on board. The mishap happened deep in the Nilgiris, some distance away from Wellington where the CDS was to deliver a talk.
The mortal remains of General Rawat and his wife Madhulika will be taken to their official residence on 3, Kamaraj Marg at 11 am on Friday. Around 2 pm, the military bands of all three services will escort the bodies to Brar crematorium in Dhaula Kuan. The funeral is scheduled for 4 pm. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had announced in the parliament today that the CDS will be cremated with full military honour.
This is not the first time the YouTuber was targeted by the DMK government. In June 2020, the party had filed an FIR against him for calling M Karunanidhi the ‘father of corruption’. The man behind the Youtube channel Maridhas Answers has been taking aim against some very powerful lobbies, notably the foreign-funded Christian lobby and the entrenched power in the State, the Dravidian movement.
