Based on the directions of the MK Stalin-led DMK government, the Tamil Nadu Police has formed a special ‘Social Media Monitor Team’ to monitor social media sites.
According to reports, a whopping 203 officials and police personnel have been deputed for the task of “monitoring fake news on social media intending to create tension, riots, online frauds, drug smuggling, etc”.
The ‘Social Media Monitor Centre’ was announced when Tamil Nadu Finance Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan presented the state’s budget for the year 2022-23 in March this year.
PTR in his budget speech mentioned that the state government has decided to form a special Social Media Monitoring Centre under the police department.
He claimed that it is being set up ‘to battle fake news and misinformation on social media platforms’.
However, many have expressed concerns that the so-called ‘Social Media Monitoring Cell’ is nothing but the DMK government’s draconian move to use the state police machinery under its control might muzzle dissenting voices.
Ever since the DMK came to power, there has been a series of crackdowns on social and political activists.
In July a case was registered against News J, a TV channel of the AIADMK party, and members of the party’s IT wing based on some posts they had posted years ago.
YouTuber Maridhas was arrested on December 9, 2021, for a tweet that came in the light of the late Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat’s death. A DMK functionary had lodged a complaint against the YouTuber, for his tweet that compared Tamil Nadu to Kashmir.
Kishore K Swamy, another political commentator known for his brutal criticism of the DMK, was incarcerated for 6 months after slapping Goondas Act on him.
BJP IT wing office-bearer Saravana Kumar from Dindigul was arrested for criticizing the DMK government and later released following a protest by BJP cadres in front of the police station. Another BJP functionary Kalyana Raman was arrested for allegedly derogating CM Stalin and his late father Karunanidhi.
There have been multiple instances where the state police had cracked down on opposition parties and those who posted tweets criticizing the Stalin government based on complaints filed by DMK cadres or office bearers.
It is to be noted that Finance Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan was previously the head of the DMK’s IT Wing, a post that has now been given to DMK MP T.R. Baalu’s son and Mannargudi MLA T.R.B Rajaa.
With the launch of an exclusive ‘Social Media Monitory Cell’, it is being feared that freedom of speech and expression would be at stake as the DMK government will weaponize the unit to hunt down anyone who doesn’t agree with the party.
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