He was arrested for sharing a clip with the names of MK Stalin and PTR embossed on characters in a scene from a decades-old Tamil movie.
Pradheep Savukku. (Supplied)
The Chennai City Police has arrested one Pradheep, who runs the Twitter handle Voice of Savukku Shankar, for posting a meme targeting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Finance Minister Palanivel Thiyagarajan, and the recently announced monthly assistance scheme for women.
The handle on Tuesday, 21 March, shared a clip with the names of Stalin and PTR embossed on characters in a comedy scene from a decades-old Tamil movie.
https://twitter.com/voiceofsavukku/status/1637994916067561473
The meme targeted the budget announcement of the DMK’s poll promise of monthly assistance of ₹1,000 to women.
According to sources, Pradheep was arrested based on a complaint by Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women (TNSCW) Chairperson AS Kumari.
In her complaint, Kumari stated that the meme was degrading in nature and had been shared to malign women eligible for the government scheme.
Based on the complaint made on Tuesday, the Chennai City Police arrested Pradheep on the same day and booked him under Sections 153, 505 (1) (b), and 509 of the IT Act
He was produced before the 14th Metropolitan Magistrate Court and was remanded to judicial for 15 days — till 5 April.
The police action led to a political furore, with the principal Opposition, the AIADMK, and its ally, the BJP, strongly condemning the action, even as “#ArrestMeToo_stalin” trended on Twitter
The BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit president K Annamalai tweeted that the DMK government was rattled by the slightest criticism and displayed its dictatorial behaviour by arresting a person for a social media post.
“If posting a troll video deserves an arrest, the entire DMK IT Wing should be behind bars as it is their full-time profession,” Annamalai said.
“Curtailing freedom of expression, midnight arrests & self advertisements with no achievements to back them are true traits of a fascist Stalin,” he added.
The AIADMK functionaries and IT Wing Secretaries Kovai Sathyan and Raj Sathyan retweeted the clip and posted #ArrestMeToo_Stalin, apparently in solidarity with Pradheep.
தகுதியான மகளீர்க்கு மாதம் ஆயிரம் ருபாய் மற்றவர்கள் எல்லாம் அரசு பணத்தை பெற தகுதியற்றவர்கள் என தகுதியற்ற ஒரு திட்டத்தை அறிவித்து விட்டு,
அதற்கு விமர்சனம் வந்தால் உடனே கைதா?I too endorse this video,என் மீதும் வழக்கிடுங்கள்!ஆனால் இதை விட வீரியமான காணொலிகள் பல வரும்,மறக்காதீர்கள். https://t.co/UcLWKcgqrg
— Raj Satyen – Say No To Drugs & Dmk (@satyenaiadmk) March 22, 2023
Kushboo Sundar, a member of the National Commission for Women, also condemned the arrest.
The spineless @arivalayam govt is indulging in outright suppression of people’s voices. Shocked to note that they can’t handle even memes. Conspicuous signs of a weak govt. If they are arresting bcoz allegedly someone had represented woman badly, what about your own men who keep…
— KhushbuSundar (Modi ka Parivaar) (@khushsundar) March 22, 2023
Savukku Shankar, a well-known critic of the DMK regime, condemned the arrest. On his Twitter handle, he alleged that the arrest was made at the instigation of PTR.
Hitting out at Shankar, Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan said, “I’ve ignored the paranoia of this fantasist, but this is 100% lunacy so I will react [sic].” He denied he had anything to do with the arrest.
I've ignored the paranoia of this fantasist, but this is 100% lunacy so I will react:
a) I had no idea this handle existed, so have not seen the video, nor complained
b) When "criticism" of the State Budget by a suspended DVAC clerk start to bother me…I'll quit public life pic.twitter.com/15rpVjeSdK
— Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) (@ptrmadurai) March 22, 2023
Following this, an AIADMK sympathiser said: “This is a state budget, every citizen has the right to question and criticize… [sic].”
The minister replied:
Just so even cultists can get it:
1) Of course anyone can & should criticize ANY budget, or govt, or official in a democracy
2) This liar’s (& his coterie’s) CRITICISMS don’t upset me even 1%
3) I only exposed the 100% LIE that I complained, let alone asked for arrest
Clear? https://t.co/6GsITc3cRG
— Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) (@ptrmadurai) March 22, 2023
Speaking to South First, political critic and whistleblower Savukku Shankar said that the video meme tweeted by Pradheep is just a satire.
“How come suddenly the chairperson of the TN Women’s Commission finds a 30-year-old video from the movie Kattabomman denigrating women?” he asked.
The video meme was shared by multiple persons and a satellite channel telecast it in its programme, he noted.
“The complainant did not find it offensive when it was watched by lakhs, but found it offensive when it was seen by a few thousand,” Shankar said.
He also alleged that Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Crime Branch-Cyber Crime) Sajitha was threatening Pradheep in custody to release a video tendering an unconditional apology for the meme, following which he would be released.
Efforts to contact the complainant Kumari did not yield results.
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