Activist Kishore K Swamy was arrested Monday by the Chennai police over a complaint filed by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) IT Wing coordinator Ravichandran. Swamy runs the Twitter handle @Sansbarrier and has a following of 73.9K.
The DMK IT Wing coordinator, in his complaint dated June 10, accused the activist of attempting to promote feelings of enmity and hatred between different communities, stoke communal violence and riots by circulating allegedly defamatory comment against former Chief Ministers and DMK senior leaders, CN Annadurai and M Karunanidhi and the present Chief Minister MK Stalin.
Based on the complaint, Sankar Nagar Police arrested Swamy from his house in the wee hours of Monday. He was produced before a magistrate at her residence and remanded to judicial custody until June 28. He has been lodged in Chengalpattu sub-jail.
Swamy, a staunch critic of DMK, has been booked under IPC Sections-153(provoking with intent to cause riot), 505(1) (b) (Causing fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquillity) and 505(1)(c) (Whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement or report containing rumour or alarming news with intent to create or promote, or which is likely to create or promote feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities).
This is the third time Swamy has been arrested. Twice earlier, he was released immediately.
Following the arrest of the activist, Netizens outraged and called out the incumbent CM of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin and other DMK leaders for trying to stifle voices of dissent in the state.
https://twitter.com/skarthikdotin/status/1404275437820211200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw https://twitter.com/Mahesh10816/status/1404286099229331456?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwBJP leader also condemned the arrest of Swamy in a series of Tweets. She wrote on Twitter: “I condemn Kishore K Swamy arrest For speaking against DMK leaders. What happened to democracy? When Udhaynidhi Stalin can lie about PM Modi ji, CM Stalin can lie about PM Modi ji, when thirumavalavan can talk bad about Hindu dharma, Brahmins and PM.
https://twitter.com/BJP_Gayathri_R/status/1404264274021609475?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw“Entire DMK speaking bad about particular caste Brahmins and now they are against Devendra kula Vellalars, when they call opposition leaders as Dogs, bad smell, & disrespect women, when there is no action/arrest on these people, why only on a commonman. Is law only for common man?
No one can force anyone to like or follow DMK. We cannot accept dictatorship, when you can talk walk as you wish please expect the same back. Arresting a man for calling a spade a spade is this democracy? DMK threatening and arresting all Hindus,” she said.