Activist Kishore K Swamy, arrested in June 2021, over an alleged ‘defamatory’ post against Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief MK Stalin and former DMK leaders Annadurai and M Karunanidhi, has recently taken to Twitter to reveal the treatment meted out to him in jail on the instruction of some DMK-friendly journalists.
On May 22, the YouTuber took to the microblogging site Twitter to disclose how senior journalist M Gunasekaran of Sun TV called the cops and insisted that he be kept in isolation and naked in jail. He added how journalist Karthigaichelvan, the managing director of the Tamil news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai TV directed cops to feed him meat when in jail.
When I was arrested ,gunasekaran of sun tv called the cops and was insisting i should be kept in isolation and naked, i told the cops ,u can strip me of my clothes but not my values. Pt karthigaichelvan had called the cops and insisted my food should have meat pieces ,I survived
— kishore k swamy 🇮🇳 (@sansbarrier) May 22, 2022
Sharing Swamy’s Tweet that revealed the MK Stalin and his political party’s intolerance towards dissenting voices, another Twitter user @Devi_Uvacha further alleged that Swamy was “given a small mug which he had to use for coffee, water and to wash himself.”
He was given a small mug which he had to use for coffee, water and to wash himself. This party 40 years back started a movement to cut the shikas of Brahmins, collect in a bag and send it to their head Evera. 2/2 @Shubham_fd @VarunKrRana @OpIndia_com @republic @AskAnshul
— Devi Uvacha|உவாச| उवाच 🇮🇳 (@Devi_Uvacha) May 23, 2022
Activist Kishore K Swamy was arrested on charges of inciting communal riots for circulating allegedly ‘defamatory’ posts against DMK leaders
It may be recalled how on June 14, 2021, activist Kishore K Swamy was arrested by the Chennai police over a complaint filed by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) IT Wing coordinator Ravichandran. Swamy runs the Twitter handle @Sansbarrier and has a following of 73.9K.
The DMK IT Wing coordinator, in his complaint dated June 10, accused the activist of attempting to promote feelings of enmity and hatred between different communities, stoke communal violence and riots by circulating allegedly defamatory comments against former Chief Ministers and DMK senior leaders, CN Annadurai and M Karunanidhi and the present Chief Minister MK Stalin.
Swamy, a staunch critic of DMK was arrested under the Goondas Act. He was booked under IPC Sections-153(provoking with intent to cause riot), 505(1) (b) (Causing fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquillity) and 505(1)(c) (Whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement or report containing rumour or alarming news with intent to create or promote, or which is likely to create or promote feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities).
Notably, this particular arrest was the third time Swamy had been arrested. Twice earlier, he was released immediately.
Following the arrest of the activist, Netizens were outraged and called out the incumbent CM of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin and other DMK leaders for trying to stifle voices of dissent in the state.
Sun TV editor M Gunasekaran resigns from News 18 Tamil Nadu following Vlogger Maridhas’ expose
Speaking about, M Gunasekaran, the journalist joined Sun TV after he quit News 18 Tamil Nadu in 2020 following allegations of political bias from YouTuber Maridhas. Sun TV is considered to be a mouthpiece of MK Stalin’s DMK party. It is owned by Kalanithi Maran, the grandnephew of DMK president M Karunanidhi.
M Gunasekaran was compelled to resign from News 18 after YouTuber Maridhas had filed a complaint with News 18’s management in New Delhi, stating that several Tamil channel journalists and editors, including Gunasekaran, were direct or indirect supporters of Dravida Kazhagam (DK) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Maridhas further claimed that the network took an anti-Hindu stance. The channel then filed a police complaint as well as a defamation suit in the Madras High Court. Maridhas was ordered by the court to remove all videos against the channel. Two days after the court’s directions, however, Gunasekaran resigned and joined Sun TV.
Youtuber Maridhas arrested by the DMK out of vendetta
Here it becomes imperative to note that a few months after Maridhas questioned biased coverage of news events by News18 through an expose on his video channel, the Chennai police went after the popular YouTuber. He was first arrested by the cybercrime police in Madurai, Tamil Nadu on December 9 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.
He had inquired if Tamil Nadu was “becoming into Kashmir” under the DMK’s control in a Tweet that he later deleted.
In another Tweet, Maridhas alleged that many DMK supporters have been posting emojis mocking the death of an army commander in the accident.
Following his social media posts, the Madurai police had gone to his house in Surya Nagar of K Pudur in Tamil Nadu and arrested him under serious sedition and other laws at the behest of the DMK government.
Days after the aforementioned FIR against journalist Maridhas was quashed by the Madras HC, the Tamil Nadu state had gone on to arrest the journalist yet again – this time it was over an old video where he was seen criticising Tablighi Jamaat. Maridhas’ 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 to the coronavirus outbreak in India. The FIR was filed on 4th August 2020.
