Once again, the crackdown on the opposition party persists in Tamil Nadu, aiming to stifle their voices. In the latest incident, Selva Kumar, the Vice President of the Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party Industrial Cell, was called in by the cyber-crime police in Coimbatore for posting on social media on 14 February 2024. The post criticized the ruling DMK government for releasing individuals connected to the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blast case. This contentious action has sparked extensive criticism on social media and has caused significant concern among the residents of Coimbatore.
On 14 February 2024, Selva Kumar shared the following two posts on the micro blogging platform X during the time of the 1998 Coimbatore blast anniversary. In one post, he shared a video of convict and Al-Umma founder Syed Batcha (who received interim bail owing to an impending surgery) welcoming another convict who was released recently. The other video was a clipping of a video from former police officer Varadharajan’s video on the bomb blasts where he narrates how former CM Karunanidhi handled the intelligence information with regard to the blasts.
Ironically, the Coimbatore cyber-crime police registered charges under Section 153 A (1)(b), Section 504 of IPC for Criminal Intimidation, and Section 43(i) r/w of 66 of the Information Technology Act, 2008 against Selva Kumar. These charges carry potential imprisonment for a term extending to 3 years or a fine of five lakh rupees, or both.
மகிழ்ச்சியாக கோவை அரசியல் களத்தில்
குண்டுவெடிப்பு குற்றவாளி பாட்ஷா#கோவை_மன்னிக்காது— Selva Kumar (@Selvakumar_IN) February 14, 2024
குண்டு வெடிப்பதற்கு முன்பே தீவிரவாதிகளை முழு மூச்சுடன் எதிர்த்தார் அம்மையார் ஜெயலலிதா, ஆனால் இன்றோ அதே கட்சி தண்டிக்கபட்ட தீவிரவாதிகளை விடுதலை செய்ய சட்டசபையில் தீர்மானம் கொண்டு வருகிறது#கோவை_மன்னிக்காது pic.twitter.com/JstWU3A300
— Selva Kumar (@Selvakumar_IN) February 14, 2024
Selva Kumar took to his official X handle to inform people about these charges filed against him. He also expressed his willingness to cooperate and appear at the police station in response to the summons. A statement released by Selva Kumar read, “Posting not to release Coimbatore terrorists, immediate Prosecution, is arrest next? The hashtag #கோவை_மன்னிக்காது was trending nationally on the 14th. More than twenty thousand citizens from Coimbatore participated in this and solemnly registered their opinion that the terrorists should not be released. The Coimbatore Police took immediate action and registered a non-bailable case based on the complaint filed by the DMK + sectarian alliance parties who were offended by this. They have sent a summons to appear at the Coimbatore Cybercrime Police Station at 11 am today for a personal inquiry regarding this case. I am present at the police station on time.”
கோவை குண்டுவெடிப்பு தீவிரவாதிகளை விடுதலை செய்ய கூடாது என பதிவு செய்தல் உடனடியாக வழக்கு, அடுத்தது கைதா ?
கடந்த 14ம் தேதி தேசிய அளவில் #கோவை_மன்னிக்காது என்ற ஹேஸ்டேக் தேசிய அளவில் ட்ரென்டிங் ஆனது.
இதில் கோவையை சேர்ந்த இருபது ஆயிரத்திற்கும் மேற்பட்ட பொதுமக்கள் கலந்து கொண்டு… pic.twitter.com/RrDkfaHAxN
— Selva Kumar (@Selvakumar_IN) February 21, 2024
Several netizens criticized the move and argued that it was a politically motivated move by the DMK.
திமுக ஓட்டு வங்கியும் இல்ல.
செந்தில் பாலாஜி இல்ல.
பணம் பட்டுவாடா பண்ண ஆளு இல்ல.ஒரே தீர்வு கைது அதானே ?? @arivalayam#WeStandWithSelvaKumar pic.twitter.com/boG7wFgOsH
— Sanghi Prince🚩 (@SanghiPrince) February 21, 2024
— Bagavath Pratheep (@Bagavathprathee) February 21, 2024
இது திமுகவின் பழிவாங்கும் நடவடிக்கை .
பயமா ? @mkstalin#WeStandWithSelvaKumar
— ஷிபின் Shibin (@Shibin_twitz) February 21, 2024
குண்டு வைத்தவனை விடுதலை செய்வான், கேள்வி கேட்டால் கைது செய்வான். அதான் திராவிட மாடல் போல 🤢🤦🏽♂️#WeStandWithSelvaKumar
— Karthi 🇮🇳 (@SaffronSurge3) February 21, 2024
This the second time Selva Kumar’s posts on X have attracted the attention of the police department. Here are some of the instances from 2023 and early 2024, several netizens and BJP members were arrested for exercising their freedom of speech.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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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