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How Dravidanist Media Tried To Peddle Propaganda Against Modi Govt Using A Dubious Complaint Of An “IRS Officer” While Ignoring The Farmer Who Was Detained By DMK Govt Under Goondas Act 

The Commune

The Case of Arul

In November 2023, the DMK government in Tamil Nadu involved the Goondas Act against seven farmers engaged in a sit-in protest opposing the land acquisition for the SIPCOT project in Melma, Cheyyar taluk, Tiruvannamalai district.

Following widespread criticism of the action against protesting farmers, Chief Minister MK Stalin announced the reversal of the decision on 17 November 2023. Six out of the seven detainees were released after their family members met with Cheyyar MLA and Minister for Public Works, Highways, and Minor Ports, E V Velu, requesting their release, as mentioned in the Chief Minister’s statement.

However, the decision to invoke the Goondas Act against environmental activist Arul Arumugam was not rescinded. Arumugam gained prominence for opposing the Chennai-Salem eight-lane highway project during the previous AIADMK regime. Arul, originally from Krishnagiri district, was born into a family of land-owning farmers. Despite working as a Software Engineer at Polaris and Infosys in Bengaluru, Arul’s passion for agriculture led him to leave his corporate job around 2018 and return to Krishnagiri. Taking charge of his patta lands in Chengam region, Tiruvannamalai, after his father’s demise in 2009, Arul fully embraced farming in 2018.

In response to the government’s eight-lane expressway project in 2018, targeting wetlands in Tiruvannamalai, Arul, along with fellow farmers, protested against potential land acquisition. 

Despite campaigning for the DMK in 2021 based on their promise to halt the expressway project, Arul faced criticism when the government did not drop the initiative. Nevertheless, he continued supporting farmers affected by the SIPCOT project through his position as the state Chairman of Uzhavan Urimai Iyakkam. Arul assisted in submitting petitions and organising peaceful protests against the acquisition of 3,174 acres of wetlands, emphasising his commitment to agricultural rights.

Addressing reporters, E V Velu defended the government’s intention to provide jobs for the educated youth in the district, accusing “outsiders” of creating trouble. Velu claimed that one of the detainees, Devan, did not own any land and labeled Arul from Krishnagiri as the chief instigator behind the protest, alleging a pre-planned hindrance to development work.

Contradicting these claims, Devan’s father stated he did not support the protest, while Devan’s wife, D Kalaiselvi, mentioned that some DMK members intimidated the family and coerced her father-in-law to speak against his son. The Goondas Act invoked on Arul was rescinded on 5 January 2024. 

The Case Of 2 Dalit Farmers

A verdict copy that has come to light in the bison death case. On 15 January 2017, as per information received by Salem Forest Guard, Forest Officer Sirajeedin, Athar Divisional Forester P. Ponnusamy, and Nagalur East Beat Conservator of Forests A. Murugan visited Atthar Vattam, Ramanayakanpalayam, Karamanitattu around 5:00 PM to address the issue of an electric fence installed by Chinnuswami’s sons, Krishnan and Kannayanai, in the presence of the village administration officer, to destroy the rats that were destroying tapioca (kuchi kizhangu) planted on the land.

Voluntarily, the sons admitted to setting up the electric fence on their land on the night of 1 January 2017. They reported that on the morning of 2 January 2017, a male bison and a female bison got entangled in the electric fence and died. The brothers (who turned adversaries later) dug a hole and buried the bison at Ramanayakanpalayam on 2 January 2017. When asked to show the spot where they buried the bison, Kannaiyan revealed the spot and dug up the bison, and in the presence of forest officials from Ramanayakanpalayam, the village administration officer and adversaries. They discovered a male and a female bison dead and decaying in the pit. A veterinary assistant from Kalpaganur confirmed that the decaying animals were wild buffaloes and a veterinary surgeon conducted a post-mortem examination.

Following the doctor’s advice, a pit was dug, and the dead bodies were buried at the location where they were found. Additionally, two buffalo horns, which were not decomposed, were identified by A. Murugan, Nagalur East Beat Conservator of Forests. The horns were seized . Samples were collected on 15 January 2017, in the presence of witness Sirajideen, Forest Officer, and the Village Administrative Officer, as documented in the Mahajar statement, and samples were prepared on the spot.

The ED later decided to stop pursuing the case involving the two Dalit farmers once the news came out.

Is TNM Planting Stories To Peddle Propaganda?

In what appears to be a planted story, the TNM portal had actively pursued the case of Dalit farmers and reporting on letters written by soon-to-retire self-proclaimed activist IRS officer Balamurugan and his wife Dalit Pravina. This story was amplified by other Dravidianist media outlets like Sun News and Kalignar Seithigal.

It is perplexing that how two separate incidents, one involving the death of a bison due to the erection of a fence that was electrified were linked to the ED raids of the farmers. The News Minute also alleged that a BJP leader was involved in land grabbing of the two brothers involved in this matter. Were these stories politically spun for narrative purposes by The News Minute?

It is noteworthy that news media outlets such as The News Minute had been focusing on cases involving Dalit farmers under ED purview that recently made headlines and had not been supporting activists like Arul. 

There have been accusations that the DMK government through its state intelligence is trying to plant stories to embarrass ED.

While TNM previously profiled Arul, they had not taken up his case since it involves questioning the ruling DMK government. 

Following the aftermath of Cyclone Michaung in Chennai, TNM’s Shabbir reported on the shortcomings of the DMK government in managing the floods. In response, a troll army targeted him accusing him of having received money as per an alleged diary of mining baron Sekhar Reddy. Later, TNM’s Editor-in-Chief Dhanya Rajendran ‘thanked’ DMK IT wing chief TRB Rajaa for reigning in his IT wing functionaries. 

The approach seems to be prioritising alignment with their narrative, portraying the central government as a villain and bolstering the image of the BJP as a fascist entity, rather than risking criticism of the DMK.

And that’s why TNM should consider renaming itself from The News Minute to The New Murasoli.

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