The episode has sparked a fresh clash between the AIADMK and the media, with Niranjan dismissing the allegations and standing by his report.
Published Sep 18, 2025 | 8:45 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 18, 2025 | 8:45 PM
Journalist Niranjan. (Supplied)
Synopsis: The controversy began after Niranjan, along with several other journalists, reported that Palaniswami attempted to avoid cameras by covering his face while leaving Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s residence in Delhi. The unusual moment, streamed live and later shared online, prompted a series of political commentary.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami has publicly announced a “legal notice” against Delhi-based independent journalist Niranjan Kumar, who reported that Tamil Nadu’s Opposition leader left Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s residence in Delhi while covering his face.
The party accused him of spreading defamatory news at the behest of the DMK and demanded that he take down the related video from his YouTube channel “The Capital” as well as posts on X.
Unlike a formal legal procedure, the notice was not served directly to the journalist but circulated on AIADMK’s official X handle, tagging Niranjan and accusing him of pushing a “fake narrative.”
The episode has sparked a fresh clash between the AIADMK and the media, with Niranjan dismissing the allegations and standing by his report.
The controversy began after Niranjan, along with several other journalists, reported that Palaniswami attempted to avoid cameras by covering his face while leaving Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s residence in Delhi. The unusual moment, streamed live and later shared online, prompted a series of political commentary.
Soon after, AIADMK moved to counter the narrative. In its X post, the party described its statement as a “first step” towards legal action against the journalist.
The post further alleged that the controversy was part of a larger pattern of bias within the Tamil media and accused Niranjan of betraying public trust. The language of the post signalled the party’s intent to make an example out of him, even though similar reports on the incident had appeared in several other outlets.
AIADMK laid out a series of allegations against Niranjan. The party claimed that by reporting Palaniswami’s exit from Amit Shah’s residence with his face covered, the journalist had published and disseminated “false and defamatory” news.
It argued that this amounted to a violation of journalistic ethics and damaged the image of the general secretary. The notice went further, alleging that Niranjan was not acting as an independent reporter but as a DMK-leaning “sycophant.”
It cited his earlier presence at a book launch attended by Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu as proof of his political proximity to the ruling party.
According to the AIADMK, Niranjan had been “poking the noses” of AIADMK, BJP, and their allies for years, and while the party had exercised restraint, his conduct outside Amit Shah’s residence had “crossed all lines of neutrality.”
The notice asserted that such actions betrayed the trust of the Tamil Nadu public, who, it said, rely on the media as the “fourth pillar of democracy.” It described Niranjan and others like him as misusing their platforms to carry the ruling party’s agenda under the guise of journalism.
While issuing a warning of legal and civil action, the AIADMK stressed that this was only the “first step.” At the same time, it sought to position itself as a defender of free press, claiming it continued to respect “true independent journalists” and would not be “amused” by those who acted as political agents.
The party’s statement ended with a demand that Niranjan delete the video from his YouTube channel ‘The Capital’ and remove related posts from X.
Journalist Niranjan speaking to South First, claimed that, “This is the first time we have seen a senior political leader cover his face and run away from the media. Obviously, it was a big news moment.”
With that, he dismissed the AIADMK’s allegations as baseless, stressing that he had only reported what he and more than 20 other journalists witnessed outside Amit Shah’s residence. He said several outlets carried the same footage, but he alone was being targeted.
“If they don’t have the guts to send legal notices to bigger organizations like Puthiya Thalamurai or News18, why are they simply targeting me? But it’s okay, I’ll face it,” Niranjan said, standing firm in his reporting and remarks. Regarding the notice circulating online, he clarified that he has not responded because it is not a proper legal notice.
“I am not changing even a single comma or full stop, not only on my social media platform but also for other organizations to which I’m giving inputs. I have given the same copy everywhere, anyone can cross-check it with other national or Tamil media outlets, and everyone has reported the same thing,” he said, emphasizing that his reporting remains consistent and transparent, regardless of online attacks or attempts to intimidate him.
“They have simply tagged me on social media and started trolling. If they want me to be prosecuted, they can send a proper notice. Not an irrelevant social media post. If they do, I will 100 percent face them in court,” he said, pointing out that his email ID and contact details were publicly available and well known to AIADMK leaders.
“If they had sent a legal notice to me personally, it wouldn’t have been an issue. Journalists often face such threats, but now they have brought this to social media. I will provide my explanation through my channel, but I can’t respond as if it were a valid legal notice,” he added.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
