A major kidney trafficking racket has come to light in Tamil Nadu. The main accused? A DMK functionary named Dravida Anandan, now absconding. The hospital where illegal transplants were allegedly carried out? Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital in Namakkal, owned by DMK MLA A. Kathiravan.
Victims have come forward admitting they were paid ₹5 lakh in exchange for their kidneys.
When officials raided Anandan’s residence, they found forged documents, government seals, and even official-looking uniforms—indicating that the racket may have operated under a façade of legitimacy. There’s suspicion that some of the harvested kidneys were trafficked across state lines, and possibly smuggled into Sri Lanka.
Authorities say the true scale of the operation—and the involvement of hospital staff or other middlemen—will only be clear once Anandan is caught. But that may take time. Most of the women involved are too afraid to file complaints, fearing police cases and social backlash.
This should have been a clear-cut story about political-criminal nexus, abuse of medical systems, and state failure.
Instead, The News Minute ran a 30-minute episode titled ‘In Public Interest’, that never once mentioned either the DMK MLA or the accused DMK functionary. No names, no political affiliations, no direct accountability. The entire focus? Poverty, Aadhaar, and Modi.
Let’s break down how TNM whitewashed the issue.
Ignoring Key Facts, Erasing Political Nexus To Protect DMK?
While the interview with Dr. Shanthi of the Doctors Association for Social Equality touched on broader concerns around organ trafficking, Despite the main accused being a DMK insider and the hospital belonging to a DMK MLA, TNM conveniently omits this. Host Shabbir Ahmed vaguely says “Two private hospitals, one in Tiruchi and another one in Namakal have come under the scanner for allegedly facilitating illegal transplants.” – as if this is just some generic medical lapse. No attempt is made to ask the obvious: How does a DMK-run hospital become the hub of a trafficking racket?
Instead, the discussion meandered into unrelated topics such as,
- Aadhaar’s alleged flaws, despite the same system being previously criticized by leftist ‘liberals’ for “privacy violations.” Now, it’s suddenly the root cause of fake documents in organ trafficking.
- Modi’s free ration scheme, bizarrely dragged into the debate as if poverty alleviation programs are somehow responsible for illegal organ trade.
- Gujarat’s surrogacy industry, a random detour that served no purpose other than to take an indirect swipe at BJP-ruled states.
- Demands to “strengthen public health in GDP,” a hollow, jargon-filled suggestion that does nothing to address the immediate racket or hold the guilty accountable.
While the speaker’s demand for public health reforms, calling for more dialysis centers and proper utilization of doctors is valid, both the interviewer Shabbir and the interviewee Dr Shanthi failed to demand criminal prosecution for the hospital directly implicated.
A Biased Speaker, A Convenient Narrative
Dr. Shanthi’s interview was riddled with politically convenient arguments while conveniently sidestepping the DMK’s glaring failures:
No mention of the DMK government’s inaction – Despite repeated cases of illegal organ trade in Tamil Nadu, the MK Stalin-led administration has done little to enforce stricter regulations or punish offenders.
No scrutiny of DMK-linked accused – The primary suspect is a DMK functionary, and the hospital in question belongs to a DMK MLA. Yet, TNM failed to question the state government’s role or possible complicity.
The highlight of the episode is just this apart from blaming PM Modi’s welfare schemes (free ration) and fake Aadhar racket.
What the Episode Actually Does
The TNM episode turns a criminal racket into a soft-focus “public health” story. The angle is that this is not a scandal, but a symptom of economic distress. While poverty is undoubtedly a factor in organ exploitation, this framing deliberately avoids the hard questions:
- How did a DMK-run hospital enable illegal surgeries?
- What role did the Health Department play in ignoring red flags?
- How deep is the political protection that allowed this racket to thrive?
- Why were inspections so lax in a hospital owned by a ruling party MLA?
By blaming “systemic issues,” The News Minute sidesteps the real, named, and politically connected individuals who should be investigated and arrested. The only winners from this deflection are the DMK party brass, the hospital management, and the brokers and agents who now get to hide behind a fog of socio-economic theory.
TNM claims to speak “in public interest,” but this episode is exactly what we call narrative manipulation. A DMK-linked hospital runs a criminal organ racket, a DMK functionary is the key accused, and TNM runs a segment that doesn’t name a single guilty party but blames Modi and all things sundry!
It is willful dereliction of duty. And it insults both the victims of the racket and the intelligence of the audience, basically political laundering.
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