Amid a surge in radical Islamist threats in the Dravidian Model state of Tamil Nadu, the ruling DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) party is shockingly downplaying terrorist activities, including the deadly 2022 Coimbatore car blast. While global terror links and chilling evidence of radicalization surface, the state government continues to whitewash these threats, leaving the region vulnerable to further violence.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is increasingly uncovering these threats, many of which are tied to global and local radical groups. However, despite the seriousness of these terror incidents, the ruling DMK and its leadership appear to be deliberately whitewashing the facts.
In a disturbing trend, when these terror plots are exposed, the ruling party and its allies often minimize the gravity of the situation, presenting a picture that downplays the threat. Even when attacks occur, the state government’s response is often lukewarm, and the media — which should play a crucial role in exposing and investigating these acts — tends to treat them with an uncomfortable level of caution. Reports are often subtly diluted, with crucial details missing or glossed over. In stark contrast, when similar incidents involve individuals from the Hindu community, the media shows an almost peculiar interest in scrutinizing every aspect of their lives, including their family background, caste, and all such non-sense.
This biased approach fosters a dangerous atmosphere where the perpetrators of terror, especially those with links to radical Islamist groups, grow more emboldened each day. It not only undermines the efforts of law enforcement but also sends a message that such acts may go unchecked.
Here are some notable incidents that highlight how the DMK and its allies have failed to address these terror issues properly, choosing instead to whitewash them, allowing the culprits to grow bolder
Coimbatore Car Blast Case 2022:
On 23 October 2022, a car bomb blast occurred near the Kottai Eswaran Temple in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The explosion, which happened in the early hours of the morning, killed the sole occupant of the vehicle, Jameesha Mubin. The car, a Maruti 800, was packed with explosives, causing significant damage to nearby structures.
Investigations revealed that Mubin was allegedly linked to Islamic extremist groups, including ISIS. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) swiftly took charge of the case, looking into potential terrorist connections and whether the attack was part of a larger conspiracy. Several individuals were arrested in connection with the incident, and evidence pointed to ISIS-inspired radicalization. Investigators found that Mubin had been in contact with terror-linked individuals and was likely planning additional attacks in the region. They also recovered materials intended for bomb-making, including nails, ball bearings, and chemicals. Additionally, handwritten documents were found at his house, listing popular spots in Coimbatore that Mubin had either already surveilled or planned to target.
Despite these strong indicators of a terrorist attack, the ruling DMK party downplayed the incident. DMK ministers, including ‘Mylai’ Velu, attempted to frame the explosion as a gas cylinder blast rather than a terror act. This dismissal of the facts was evident in their social media posts and public interviews.
Mylai Velu, the DMK MLA from Mylapore, trivialized the blast, even making derogatory remarks against Tamil Nadu BJP President Annamalai, who criticized Chief Minister MK Stalin for his alleged failure to provide adequate security during the festive season, suggesting that Stalin should introspect on his leadership. Velu also responded dismissively to the growing criticism by remarking, “Why these needless words. Those who incited the crime should be punished first, rather than the perpetrators. Entire Tamil Nadu knows who is the reason for this (alleged “cylinder blast”). Go to the butcher shop and put your head in there. Tamil Nadu will be peaceful.”
Through his tweet, the DMK MLA implied that it was BJP who triggered the Islamist fundamentalist to carry out the terror blast in Coimbatore and that the BJP should be punished for this crime.
In another case, Isai, the State Deputy Secretary of DMK IT Wing, shared a clip from the Tamil movie Kadhalan in which the antagonist discusses with another man about creating a law and order situation through bomb blasts in order to topple the government.
This clip was again shared by the DMK IT Wing leader, suggesting that the Coimbatore blasts were the handiwork of the BJP. The tweet by Isai was retweeted by Mannargudi DMK MLA and the party’s IT Wing head TRB Rajaa.
DMK Environment Wing Secretary Karthikeya Sivasenapathy
In a 2022 interview, Karthikeya Sivasenapathy, the DMK Environment Wing Secretary, tried to downplay the seriousness of the Coimbatore car bomb blast by pushing a narrative that dismissed the evidence linking the terror blast to terrorism. When the interviewer pressed him on the chemicals found at the residence of the deceased bomber, Jameesha Mubin — including Potassium Nitrate and Sulfur — Sivasenapathy attempted to trivialize the issue by suggesting that such chemicals were easily available at local chemical drug stores and could be commonly purchased by anyone, particularly farmers for agricultural purpose.
He suggested that there was nothing unusual about the presence of these chemicals, implying that they were simply for agricultural use. His comments revealed a disturbing level of indifference to the potential threat of terrorism, as well as a dismissive attitude towards the growing radicalization in Tamil Nadu. Sivasenapathy’s remarks came across as alarmingly flippant in the face of mounting evidence that the Coimbatore blast was linked to a terrorist plot involving radical Islamist elements, including possible ISIS connections.
The interviewer pointed out that it wasn’t just the presence of one or two common chemicals, but rather the specific combination and large quantities of these chemicals — such as Ammonium nitrate, DAP, and sulfur — that could be used to create crude bombs, highlighting the grave danger posed by such materials. Despite this, Sivasenapathy remained nonchalant, questioning whether the police had found RDX (a high-grade explosive), as though that was the only indicator of a serious threat.
In the face of such obvious indicators of a terrorist attack, Sivasenapathy continued to deflect, saying, “The chemicals could’ve been bought for farming purposes.” He minimized the specific intent behind the chemicals and their potential use in bomb-making.
In another absurd statement, DMK Environment Wing Secretary Karthikeya Sivasenapathy attempted to justify the absence of Chief Minister MK Stalin from the site of the Coimbatore bomb blast by drawing a false comparison with the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States. But that too was a false justification and was quickly debunked.
DMK’s Mouth Piece – Sun News
Not only did the DMK downplay terror incidents, but even its mouthpiece news channel, Sun News, failed to report such incidents, both domestically and abroad, as terrorist attacks. For example, when a terrorist attack occurred in Moscow on 22 March 2024, where at least 60 people were killed and over 100 injured in a shooting at a concert venue, Sun News similarly minimized the gravity of the event referred to the Coimbatore blast as a “shooting at concert venue.”
CNN reported that ISIS took responsibility for the attack in a brief statement released by the ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq on Telegram on 22 March 2024.
An hour later they make another post updating the above stating that “Moscow shooting incident – death toll rises to 60!”
There is no mention of the ISIS even though the news that ISIS claimed responsibility has been reported worldwide; the news channel following its typical playbook made the act of terror look like a trivial incident, thus enabling terrorists.
On 7 February 2024, Sun News conducted an interview featuring three terrorists implicated in the 1998 Coimbatore blast case. In the interview, these terrorists openly expressed admiration for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and the DMK government. The terrorists, who seemed to have no remorse for their past actions, have since gained widespread attention on social media. The video, with all the background music, makes one think the terrorists were actually wronged by the justice system.
Reporting The 2022 Coimbatore Blast
Back in 2022 when the blast occurred in Coimbatore just a day before Deepavali, not one channel from local mainstream media including Sun News reported that the Coimbatore car blast was indeed linked to terrorists. Despite confirming this information with Tamil Nadu Police sources, an independent journalist Saikiran Kannan was surprised to find that none of the state’s media channels reported on these significant connections – that those arrested initially were connected to the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blasts.
Upon delving deeper into the matter and engaging with senior journalists and media professionals in Tamil Nadu, he discovered that reporting the Coimbatore blast as a terror incident brought immense pressure from state government agencies. There were requests to tone down the reporting, with the government initially referring to it as a car cylinder explosion. Channels like Sun News also used the same kind of reportage when it came to the bomb blast.
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi – Ally of the DMK
Vanni Arasu, the Deputy General Secretary of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), came under fire for defending individuals linked to the banned extremist group Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT). The group is accused of involvement in terrorist recruitment and radicalization efforts, and several people, including Dr. Hamid Hussain and his family members, were arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly propagating extremist ideologies.
Arasu took to social media platform X to argue that the individuals being investigated were innocent and had no connections to terrorism. He urged the Tamil Nadu government to intervene and prevent the case from being transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Arasu’s statements have drawn sharp criticism, with many accusing him of supporting terrorism.
The arrests followed an investigation by the Chennai Central Crime Branch that uncovered a connection to Hizb-ut-Tahrir, a radical Islamist organization advocating for the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate. Among those arrested was Dr. Hamid Hussain, a petroleum engineer and professor at Anna University, who was allegedly involved in organizing secret meetings and spreading extremist views through various platforms, including YouTube. Authorities also uncovered links to the Modern Essential Educational Trust (MEET), which is suspected of hosting radical meetings.
Despite these developments, Arasu defended the accused individuals. He argued that the views expressed by Dr. Hussain and his associates were not violent or directly linked to terrorism, stating that the organization was not banned in India. He further claimed that the ideological stance of the accused, while controversial, did not justify their arrests.
This incident is not unprecedented. Vani Arasu and the VCK have previously encountered criticism for advocating parole for an individual implicated in the Coimbatore bombings until his eventual release, urging the Tamil Nadu government for his release. Vani Arasu declared, “We met elder Badshah who has been released from Coimbatore jail on bail at his residence. He demanded that he should be granted parole till his release. We request Government of Tamil Nadu immediately to take a bold decision without expecting the Governor on the release of life prisoners. Not just a Viduthalai-Islamic community; but Tamil Nadu is waiting.”
Coimbatore Bomb Blast Convict Who Felt Secure After DMK Came To Power
On 7 February 2024 , Sun TV, affiliated with the DMK family, conducted an interview featuring three terrorists implicated in the 1998 Coimbatore blast case. In the interview, these terror perpetrators openly expressed admiration for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and the DMK government. The terrorists, who seemed to have any remorse for their past actions, has since gained widespread attention on social media. The video, with all the background music, makes on think the terrorists were actually wronged by the justice system.
In the video, one Mohammed Ibrahim expresses happiness that he has come out of prison after 25 years of distress and will now be able to live with his family.
“I convey my heartfelt gratitude to those who fought for our freedom – including social organizations, political parties and other outfits” and goes on to name Islamist outfits like Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK), SDPI, (Social Democratic Party of India – a subsidiary of the banned terror outfit Popular Front of India), Muslim League, Thamimum Ansari’s Manidhaneya Jananayaga Katchi, Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamat etc. He also names I.N.D.I. Alliance parties namely Congress, VCK and also Naam Tamilar Katchi.
“I prayed to God. We were so happy that what couldn’t be done by many governments, the DMK government did it“, Ibrahim said.
Another terrorist Shahul Hameed said “After the DMK government came, our release was brought to the attention of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. He only took cognizance of our requests and helped in our release. He repeatedly assured to release us and was of support throughout. Only after the regime change and the DMK government came to power, we got hope of our release.”
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