Tamil film director Mohan G. Kshatriyan was arrested without prior notice and produced before the Tiruchi court on 24 September 2024. The case pertained to alleged comments on a YouTube channel about panchamirtham prasadam. The police arrested Mohan G after a complaint lodged by Kaviarasu, a Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department manager at the Arulmigu Mariamman Temple in Samayapuram. The complaint stemmed from controversial remarks made by Mohan in a YouTube interview, where he claimed that the panchamirtham offered as prasadam at the Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple in Palani contained contraceptive pills, posing health risks to those who consumed it. Kaviarasu alleged that Mohan’s comments were false and intended to disrupt communal harmony in Tamil Nadu.
இயக்குநர் மோகன் ஜி மீது புகார் கொடுத்தது யார்?; பிணை கிடைத்தது எப்படி? – வழக்கறிஞர் விளக்கம்#MohanG | #PalaniPanchamirtham | #Advocate pic.twitter.com/TM1AwBnbHk
— PuthiyathalaimuraiTV (@PTTVOnlineNews) September 24, 2024
The magistrate released him on his own bail due to the police’s failure to follow the procedure for the arrest. Later, Mohan G, accompanied by his advocate Balu of the PMK, filed a complaint with the State Human Rights Commission in Chennai.
Speaking to reporters, Advocate Balu described the sequence of events. He stated that Mohan was not allowed even a change of clothes and was forcibly picked up from just outside his residence. He also stated that the police did not inform him about the details of the case, the charges, who they were, which police station they were from, etc. He further said, “He was not allowed to eat breakfast, he was not even allowed to pass urine, change his clothes, and was taken to Tiruchi in house clothes. He was threatened and denied basic human rights and was taken to Tiruchi police station. Samayapuram Police then files the case and is produced in court.”
He continued, “The judge rightly questioned what the case was about and when it was filed and if as under section 41, he was given a notice, they stated that the notice was given. The case was filed on the previous day at 3 PM and was given notice at 3 PM in hand, the case was filed in Samayapuram and the next morning in Washermanpet, the police were at Mohan’s residence. They did not even give him time and is a violation of human rights and should not happen to anyone.”
He said, “Mohan is a well-known director and is a concerned citizen. He made those statements with full responsibility. I cannot reveal more details of the case since it is subjudice. The judge released him on his own bail on the basis that the arrest was illegal and it was wrongfully done. The police even disrespected the Supreme Court ruling while doing so. So we have come here to the State Human Rights Commission and filed a complaint. They have promised to take action. I heard another case also has been filed against him. There is no basis for filing cases. You might want to have a look at the video where he has made those comments. He doesn’t even mention the temple name, he very responsibly says it is a rumour and it could have been a political comment but the government has to ensure things are done right. In such a situation, police should not be servants of the government. There are so many important cases that police must take strict action on immediately. There is widespread ganja availability everywhere in TN, there are 20,000 shops in TN where liquor is sold. The number of murders, thefts, and rapes has increased and police have to focus on these.”
Mohan who was also present during this press meeting said, “As Advocate Balu said, yesterday I was not given any basic rights. I was sending my child off in her school van and by the time I entered my residence, 8 people in mufti surrounded me. I could not identify if they were police as they were wearing clothes like lungi, and banian. They asked me to come along with them and told them that I was wearing house clothes and could not accompany them and that I needed to inform my advocate and wife first. They refused to listen and told me they were only taking me to the Royapuram Police station nearby and forced me to get into the van. We did not go to Royapuram police station, we crossed Tambaram where they said we’d go and then we reached Tiruchi. They did not respond to my questions and denied me my rights. Neither I nor the people who were with me knew where we were going. At around 5 PM, they took me to a hospital and then to the court. Adv Balu’s team appeared for me in court and helped me get justice yesterday through court. I have full faith in the judiciary and I am very concerned about society.”
He further said, “The reason I spoke about it was because allegations of adulteration in Tirupati prasadam came out. A Chief Minister of the state spoke about it and that is why I spoke about it. When a CM of that state can talk about such a problem, I thought I could put forth the rumour I heard and if it was true, it could be rectified. The message was conveyed wrongly. I cannot speak much about the case since it is in court. I did not make those comments to create disharmony or unrest in society. I only wanted to bring awareness to the alleged adulteration.”
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