The police department under the DMK government in Tamil Nadu has been on an arrest spree targeting those critical of the DMK on social media.
Minjur Saleem, a pro-BJP activist found himself detained and later arrested for his dissenting views regarding the DMK Party’s governance, which he expressed on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Authorities accused him of spreading rumors and inciting hatred against minority groups, leading to his unlawful detention and subsequent arrest.
On four separate occasions (8 November 2022; 1 January 2024; 2 January 2024; and 27 January 2024), Saleem voiced his concerns about the DMK Government’s perceived biased treatment towards Hindu and Muslim communities. According to sources, the Cyber Crime Police Chennai alerted X regarding the potentially unlawful content under India’s Information Technology Act. However, X informed Saleem that no action had been taken against his posts yet.
After receiving these notifications, Minjur Saleem took the precaution of promptly deleting the mentioned contents. However, even after the deletion, law enforcement officials were able to locate and issue a Lookout Circular (LOC) against Saleem, without informing him of the charges or providing a copy of the FIR. Saleem, a who resides in the United States with his family, was blindsided by this development.
On 14 March 2024, Minjur Saleem and his family traveled to India to celebrate Ramadan with relatives. However, upon their arrival at Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru at 6 AM, the Tamil Nadu Police Department detained Saleem in front of his young children and wife, according to his lawyers.
He was taken to a nearby police station in Bengaluru, where his wife was expelled from the premises when she sought information about his detention. The following day, on 15 March 2024, at 7:20 AM, Saleem was transported to the Office of Commissionerate, CCB, Vepery, Chennai. To his astonishment, Saleem was detained without being provided any explanation for his arrest. He was later informed that four First Information Reports had been filed against him, yet he had not received any notices under Section 41A of the Criminal Procedure Code for the respective crimes, nor had he been given copies of the FIRs lodged against him.
Lawyers of Minjur Saleem note that he endured over 24 hours of detention at the CCB Police Station, during which the Police Department declined to furnish the crime numbers and legal provisions under which he was charged to his legal representatives. Subsequently, the Police Department sought to remand Saleem to the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court on charges under Sections 153, 153A(1)(a), and 505(1)(b) of the Indian Penal Code. However, objections were raised against the remand petition citing the failure to issue a Section 41A notice, refusal to provide a copy of the FIR, and violations of Supreme Court guidelines established in cases such as Arnesh Kumar, Satender Kumar Antil, and Youth Bar Association v. U.O.I and Anr.
Despite these objections, the Police Department argued for remand, asserting a ‘national security threat’ and suggesting Saleem might be a ‘fringe element’ requiring investigation. The court ultimately granted the remand petition, though it noted the absence of publicly available FIRs registered under the Cyber Crime Department on the department’s website.
Tamil Nadu’s BJP President, K Annamalai, strongly criticized the DMK government’s actions regarding the arrest of Minjur Saleem through his official X platform that, “Brother @Minjursaleem, who has been exposing DMK’s double role and separatist politics on social media, has been arrested by the Tamil Nadu Police reaching Bengaluru airport. We strongly condemn the corrupt DMK government for continuing to suppress the fundamental right of freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution. DMK, which gives party status to those who sell drugs, ganja and counterfeit liquor, It is a routine to search and arrest those who criticize the DMK on social media, even in other states.”
“The Tamil Nadu Police, equivalent to the Scottish Police, under the DMK regime, is used only to silence the voices of social media, leaving aside all anti-social elements, which is regrettable and tarnishes the dignity of the police. I urge the DMK to stop using the police as their propaganda department.”
திமுகவின் இரட்டை வேடத்தையும், பிரிவினைவாத அரசியலையும் சமூக வலைத்தளங்களில் தொடர்ந்து அம்பலப்படுத்தி வந்த சகோதரர் திரு @Minjursaleem அவர்களை, பெங்களூரு விமான நிலையம் வரைச் சென்று கைது செய்திருக்கிறது தமிழகக் காவல்துறை. அரசியலமைப்புச் சட்டம் வழங்கும் அடிப்படை உரிமையான கருத்துச்…
— K.Annamalai (மோடியின் குடும்பம்) (@annamalai_k) March 16, 2024
This comes as yet another incident that highlights the concerning trend of Tamil Nadu Police prioritizing the prosecution of individuals expressing dissenting views online over addressing more serious crimes such as drug peddling, rape, and murder.
Below are the list of past actions of the DMK government, which involved stifling the expression of dissenting opinions, led to a crackdown on freedom of speech.
- The Commune and its directors faced legal action for reporting on the confrontation between Podu Deekshitars of the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple and HR&CE officials.
- BJP IT Wing and Social Media State Secretary Trichy Pugal Machendran was arrested for an alleged provocative Facebook post celebrating the death of the terrorist Palani Baba on his death anniversary. The post referred to Palani Baba as a “poisonous influence.”
- TN BJP Functionary Pravin Raj was arrested in the wee hours of 1 October 2023 for his posts targeting the ruling party and the Congress.
- The Tamil Nadu police even went up to Noida to try to arrest journalist Abhijit Majumder for his article on Udhayanidhi Stalin’s eradicate Sanathana Dharma remarks.
- Critic of the DMK, Badri Seshadri, was arrested for his comments in an interview on a YouTube channel regarding the Manipur issue, during which he made remarks about the Chief Justice of India.
- Tamil Nadu BJP State Secretary SG Suryah was taken into custody under non-bailable sections for his comments regarding Madurai CPI-M MP Su Venkatesan concerning a sanitation worker’s tragic death during drain cleaning in Pennadam town, Cuddalore district.
- An AIADMK IT wing member was apprehended under non-bailable sections for sharing a video meme that humorously referenced MK Stalin’s video statement on Senthilbalaji’s arrest. The meme did not contain derogatory content.
- A Pro-BJP Twitter user was arrested for sharing an old article and allegedly misattributing DMK to an illegal liquor-producing gang in Tiruppur, following the recent hooch tragedy in Marakkanam.
- A Pro-BJP Twitter user was arrested for sharing an old article and allegedly misattributing DMK to an illegal liquor-producing gang in Tiruppur, following the recent hooch tragedy in Marakkanam.
- Vice President of Tamil Nadu BJP’s Industrial Cell, Selva Kumar, was arrested for criticizing DMK Minister Senthilbalaji.
- The admin of Voice of Savukku Shankar X handle was arrested for a video meme targeting CM MK Stalin and DMK Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan regarding the “eligible household” clause in the monthly assistance scheme for women.
- The DMK government traveled to Gujarat to arrest BJP cadre John Ravi, who had made satirical social media posts about CM MK Stalin and his late father, Karunanidhi.
- N Muthuramalingam, the State Propaganda Secretary of South India Forward Bloc, was arrested for expressing his views on Facebook regarding the release of terrorists convicted in the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts case. Muthuramalingam had criticized Dravidian parties for considering the release of 36 prisoners, including those convicted for life in the Coimbatore terror attack, leading to his arrest.
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