Published Jun 17, 2023 | 7:51 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 17, 2023 | 7:52 PM
Suryah was arrested based on a complaint the CPI(M) lodged with the Madurai police commissioner. (Screengrab)
The BJP’s Tamil Nadu state secretary SG Suryah was remanded in judicial custody on Saturday, 17 June, after his overnight arrest in connection with a tweet in which he criticised Madurai MP Su Venkatesan.
A team of the Cyber Cell of the Madurai City Police arrested Suryah from his residence in Chennai around midnight on Friday. He was taken to Madurai for further inquiry.
The police booked him under IPC Sections 153 (a), 505 (1)(b), 505 (1)(c) IPC, and Section 66(d) of the IT Act.
Suryah was produced before a magistrate at his residence on Race Course Road on Saturday, 17 June.
The magistrate remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days. He is currently lodged in the Madurai Central Prison.
The BJP protested against the arrest across the state.
Suryah’s arrest came days after he accused a CPI(M) ward councillor, Viswanathan, of being responsible for the death of a sanitation worker.
Suryah said Vishwanathan forced the deceased to clean a dirty drain, which caused him an allergy that led to his death.
He levelled the allegation on Twitter on 7 June. The deceased was from a scheduled caste community.
அறிக்கை
கம்யூனிஸ்ட் கவுன்சிலரால் பறிபோன தூய்மை பணியாளர் உயிர் – கள்ள மெளனம் காக்கும் புரச்சீ போராளி மதுரை எம்.பி சு.வெங்கடேசன்!
பிரிவினைவாதம் பேசும் உங்கள் போலி அரசியல் அந்த மலக்குழியை விட மோசமாக துர்நாற்றம் வீசுகிறது, மனிதனாக வாழ வழி தேடுங்கள் தோழரே! @SuVe4Madurai @MaVeWriter pic.twitter.com/tAUtSMZDYI
— Dr.SG Suryah (மோடியின் குடும்பம்) (@SuryahSG) June 7, 2023
In the same tweet, he criticised CPI(M) MP Venkatesan.
“The deceased is a Scheduled Caste brother! Where’s your red flag? Where is your fighting spirit? Where are your passionate words? If you are against the ruling BJP government, you will come forward immediately. Where have you gone now? Did you sneak out? Why doesn’t your red flag fly against your comrades? Or won’t your red flag take to the streets and fight in support of the scheduled caste brothers? Your fake politics draped in a red flag stinks worse than the manhole. Find a way to live as a human being, my friend,” he tweeted.
Suryah said Viswanathan represented the 12th ward at Pennadam in Madurai.
Taking umbrage at the remark, the CPI(M) lodged a complaint with the Madurai police commissioner stating that the BJP functionary was slandering its leaders, and that there was no place called Pennadam in the Madurai district.
The incident that Suryah mentioned occurred in the Cuddalore district, sources said.
The sanitation worker, who was undergoing treatment at the Kauvery Hospital in Tiruchy, died on 24 May. Former MLA Tamilarasan then organised protests and sought compensation for the man’s family.
Speaking to reporters in Chennai, BJP’s state vice-president Thirupathy Narayanan demanded the immediate release of Suryah.
“Is the incident fake? Did it never happen? Suryah was questioning the hypocrisy of the communist MP, and arresting him for such things, that too at midnight, is never acceptable,” Narayanan said.
Ma Venkatesan, Chairman of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis, sought information on the sanitation worker’s death from the district collector and SP.
இப்படி மலம் கலந்த கழிவு நீரில் இறங்கி கட்டாயப்படுத்தி வேலை செய்ய சொல்வது சட்டப்படி குற்றம். (இதன் காரணமாகவே அரிப்பு ஏற்பட்டு மருத்துவமனைக்கு சென்று கொண்டிருந்தார். பின்னர் இறந்தார்.) 1/3@mkstalin @SuVe4Madurai @annamalai_k @NCSC_GoI @thirumaofficial @draramadoss pic.twitter.com/nLhjbDWga6
— Ma.Venkatesan (@MaVeWriter) June 7, 2023
He also asked the officials to initiate action against the councillor who had forced the man into the drain.
Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai said Suryah’s arrest was highly condemnable, and that his only mistake was that he exposed the nasty double standards of the Communists, who were DMK allies.
However, MP Venkatesan said Suryah had lied.
பொய்யையும், பீதியையும் பரப்புவதா ஒன்றிய அமைச்சர் @nsitharaman @Rajeev_GoI களின் வேலை?
மதுரை மாவட்டத்தில் பெண்ணாடம் என்ற பேரூராட்சி இருக்கிறதா? எனப் பார்த்துவிட்டு கூட கருத்துச்சொல்ல முடியாதா?
வதந்தி உங்களின் ஆயுதம்.
உண்மை எங்களின் கவசம். pic.twitter.com/fBVK42pSXu— Su Venkatesan MP (@SuVe4Madurai) June 17, 2023
He also slammed Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for supporting the arrested BJP functionary.
He wonder if the Union minister was short of time to check whether Madurai had a town panchayat called Pennadam.
Responding to the MP’s tweet, Sitharaman asked if the news of the arrest was also “false”. “Is the demand for the release of the party cadre ‘spreading panic’?” she asked.
மதிப்பிற்குறிய நாடளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் @SuVe4Madurai அவர்களே,@SuryahSG கைதானது ‘பொய்யா’? இல்லை கட்சி தொண்டர் சூர்யாவை @CMOTamilnadu விடுதலை செய்ய வேண்டும் என்று கோரிக்கை முன்வைப்பது ‘பீதியை பரப்புவதா’?
ஒரு சமூக பிரச்சனைக்கு நியாயமான தீர்வு காண நாம் அனைவரும் முயற்சிக்க வேண்டும்.… https://t.co/4LW2vjsaqy— Nirmala Sitharaman (Modi Ka Parivar) (@nsitharaman) June 17, 2023
Incidentally, Suryah was arrested two days after the Enforcement Directorate arrested state minister V Senthil Balaji in a money-laundering case.
On Thursday, Chief Minister MK Stalin said in a video message that the consequences would be “unbearable” if the BJP continued to provoke the DMK.
