In a concerning incident highlighting the abuse of power, the DMK government in Tamil Nadu has arrested a Twitter user for allegedly misattributing DMK to an illegal liquor-producing gang in Tiruppur.
Saravanaprasad Balasubramanian, a pro-BJP Twitterati, was taken into custody on Tuesday (6 June 2023) for a tweet he posted on 29 May 2023. The tweet in question is a news article implying that five DMK members, including two women, were arrested for producing illicit liquor in a government school near Tiruppur. While the original publisher of the news article, Dinamalar, did not explicitly mention the involvement of DMK cadres, Balasubramanian allegedly misattributed the incident to the party.
சட்டம் ஒழுங்கு ஊஊஊஊ pic.twitter.com/ZVKDdRcMRr
— Saravanaprasad Balasubramanian 🇮🇳 (@BS_Prasad) May 29, 2023
Based on these allegations, Saravanaprasad Balasubramanian has been arrested by the Tiruppur police on charges of spreading fake news and falsely implicating DMK cadres in a hooch-related case. Reportedly, Balasubramanian was apprehended in Coimbatore and subsequently taken to the Tiruppur court.
While DMK party members were not implicated in the specific incident of illegal arrack production mentioned by Saravanaprasad Balasubramanian, it is undeniable that DMK has been connected to the Hooch network in Tamil Nadu.
‘Maroor’ Raja, the husband of DMK’s 20th ward councilor, Ramya, who is known for his ties with DMK minister Masthan, has been identified as the main accused in a recent hooch tragedy that claimed the lives of more than 23 people. Raja has been seen sharing the stage with DMK leaders, including DMK MP Kanimozhi and DMK minister Masthan.
Reacting to the arrest, Selvakumar, the Vice President of Tamil Nadu BJP Industries Wing, criticized the DMK government, labeling them as cowards for arresting Saravanaprasad Balasubramanian, whom he described as a nationalist. He further asserted that these arrests would not intimidate any BJP supporters.
சமூக வலைதள விமர்சனங்களை தாங்கும் திறனற்ற பயந்தாங்கோளி திராவிட மாடல் அரசு, தீவிர தேசபற்றாளர் @BS_Prasad அவர்களை கோவையில் வைத்து கைது செய்துள்ளது.
தற்போது திருப்பூர் மாவட்ட நீதிமன்றத்திற்கு அழைத்து செல்ல படுகிறார்.
இந்த மிரட்டலுக்கெல்லாம் எந்த பாஜக தொண்டனும் பயப்பட மாட்டான். pic.twitter.com/FdFWLjMotR
— Selva Kumar (@Selvakumar_IN) June 6, 2023
It is important to highlight that the DMK government has previously arrested several BJP functionaries, including Selva Kumar, Krishna Kumar Murugan, YouTuber Maridhas, Karthik Gopinath, Kishore K Swamy, and others, for their social media posts, displaying a troubling pattern of blatant abuse of power.
This incident once again raises concerns about the freedom of expression and the fair treatment of individuals with dissenting views in the state.
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