An MBA gold medalist with a successful career in the corporate sector for 22 years, Muthu Karuppasamy (name changed for privacy reasons) was living his life in peace shuttling between Madurai and Dubai. The man had earlier worked abroad for more than 10 years primarily in West Asian countries – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman. In 2022, Muthu got a big offer from a well known super market chain in Dubai.

But life came crashing down for Muthu on the dreadful day of 17 July 2023. What did he do? Well, he shared a post on social media without realizing that it was a fake news card. 

The politically vocal citizen that he is, Muthu has been active on Twitter (now X) since 2019 and had enrolled himself in the BJP the same year. He has also been a Swayamsevak (volunteer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) since 2004.

He used to express his views in Tamil against the DMK and Dravidian ideology through his earlier handle – Its_Muthu_Rss.

However, on 7 April 2023, Muthu through his handle had shared a news card believing it to be the original news card of a Tamil mainstream media outlet, which claimed that certain political leaders received funds from Sterlite Copper.

Little did he know that it would come back to haunt him.

Fake “News Cards” resembling that of original ones published by various news outlets had found its way to WhatsApp and other social media on the Sterlite protest issue which are still available on the internet.

Although these fake “News Cards” were busted to be false in 2018, the same images made their way into WhatsApp and Muthu unwittingly shared it to his Twitter handle in April 2023. 

This was flagged by the alleged fact checker YouTurn and marked as fake. 

DMK IT Wing is also said to have noticed this and this resulted in Muthu becoming another victim of DMK’s harassment of its critics. He was arrested on dubious criminal charges, and subsequently had his passport illegally impounded.

Unwarranted Arrest

On 17 July 2023, when Muthu landed at the Madurai Airport, his life took a nightmarish turn when he was apprehended by the Thoothukudi Cyber Crime Police. A ‘Lookout Notice’ had been issued against him, which facilitated his arrest at the airport. Police officials had earlier turned up at his house in Madurai on 9 April 2023 to arrest but they couldn’t as he was in Dubai.

According to Muthu, he was cordoned off by an immigration officer who took him to a room for enquiry. Muthu alleges that the immigration officer at the Madurai Airport behaved rudely and treated him like a ‘terrorist’. He was apparently told to remove his shirt and was verbally abused as “naaye” meaning “dog” in Tamil.

Muthu was kept waiting at the airport from 11 AM (the time he landed) till 4 PM. He was then arrested and taken to Thoothukudi by a special unit of the Thoothukudi Cyber Crime Police.

The arrest was purportedly based on a First Information Report (FIR) registered on 8 April 2023, which cited a tweet from Muthu as the reason for his detention.

They seized his belongings which included ₹18,000 in cash he had kept separately in a cover, another ₹7,000 in cash in his purse, dirhams, gold that he had bought for his wife in Dubai, etc. Muthu alleges that the police officials took his money to eat during a stopover en route Thoothukudi.

Upon reaching Thoothukudi around 7:30 PM, he was straight away taken to Thoothukudi Cyber Crime Cell where he was interrogated for around 4 hours. The enquiry apparently went on till 11:30 PM with one official after another interrogating him.

According to Muthu, Inspector Sivasankaran allegedly asked him “Are you from RSS terrorist group?” and further sought details of his friends, colleagues, how many people work with him etc.

Thereafter, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Unnikrishnan asked him to accept to his crime which Muthu refused. He stated that he had shared the news card believing it to be true and had deleted it as soon as he came to know that it was a fake news card. However, his explanation fell on deaf ears.

It was only at around 10:30 PM that Muthu’s wife was informed of his arrest who then spoke to a lawyer for his legal aid.

At 11:30 PM , he was then taken to the Thoothukudi Government Hospital for a medical check-up following which he was taken to the Tirunelveli Government Hospital for doing corona testing at 1:30 AM (18 July 2023) after which he was presented before the magistrate. He pleaded before magistrate saying that he is ready to furnish any amount as bail as he had come to meet his family after a gap of 1 year and will abide by whatever conditions imposed on him. However, the magistrate gave remand in the wee hours following which he was lodged at the Perurani District Jail at 3:30 AM.

At the jail, he had to hand over his passport to SI Sudhakaran. Muthu spent around 8 days in jail where he was lodged in a common room which had hardened criminals who included those booked under Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Goondas Act, etc. There was only 1 bathroom for over 40 prisoners which was unclean with unbearable stench emanating. Muthu had to eat sub-standard food from the plates used by other other prisoners. The gates were opened at around 6 AM every day and tea would be served. After bathing in the 4 bathrooms outside the cell, breakfast would be served before 8 AM. Everyday it was the same lunch comprising of a watery Sambar, rice and buttermilk. Dinner would be served at 5 30 PM and the gates would be locked only to be opened next morning.

He said that in the evenings, a pen-drive loaded with the latest movies would be played after 7 PM. But Muthu spent his time doing yoga, meditation, chanting devotional hymns, and walking around the cell.

He walked out of the jail on 25 July 2023 on a conditional bail. During this entire episode, Muthu claims that he managed to fight the legal battle through his own sources and did not rely on the BJP or the RSS.

Conditional Bail 

Muthu’s ordeal continued as he had to go from Madurai to Thoothukudi everyday to appear and sign at the police station. Meanwhile, the police allegedly sent all the details of his case to his employer and that led to his termination from the job. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Muthu had secured in 2022 was gone.

After 15 days of signing as per the bail order, he moved the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court for relaxation of his bail conditions. His conditions were relaxed and he got all his belongings (dirhams, bags, gold, purse, passport, etc) except for his mobile phone. Muthu alleges that the ₹18,000 cash which was seized from him was not returned.

Notably, despite over 70 days have elapsed since the FIR was filed, the Cyber Crime Police have not yet filed a charge sheet against him. He insists that the FIR was politically motivated, orchestrated by the DMK IT Wing, and suggests that his fundamental rights have been blatantly suppressed by curtailing his movement. Muthu is out on bail now and is trying to get his case quashed. But all is not over yet.

As fate would have it, Muthu’s passport is up for renewal and he has not been able to get it renewed because of this case.

Ongoing Passport Predicament

Muthu’s plight extends beyond the arrest over a frivolous case, as his right to travel abroad is now in jeopardy. Despite his passport being technically valid, the regional passport officer in Madurai has impounded it per the instructions of the Thoothukudi Cyber Crime Police. This action is alleged to be in direct violation of the Passport Law of 1967. 

Despite his earnest efforts to renew his passport, even under the Tatkal scheme, he has been met with insurmountable obstacles. Passport officials have refused to renew it due to the ongoing case. He alleges that the Police officials were willing to revoke look out notice against him despite him getting arrested and released. Speaking to The Commune narrating his harrowing experience, he says his only request and hope is that his passport is renewed and he can travel and hopefully go back to his job in Dubai. 

In a desperate plea to the Ministry of External Affairs, he has appealed for help in getting his passport renewed.

Muthu’s case is not an isolated one.

DMK Using TN Police To Crackdown On Critics

Muthu’s inadvertent sharing of a fake “news card” resulted in him getting jailed, his job in Dubai getting terminated and his passport impounded. This episode paints a grim picture of the consequences of expressing views against the DMK or its allies in Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu Police under the current dispensation has faced criticism for arresting and harassing people who post against the ruling DMK or its allies.

Very recently, the Tamil Nadu Police went all the way to Noida-based media house looking for renowned journalist Abhijit Majumder who had written a column against Udhayanidhi Stalin’s “eradicate Sanatana Dharma” remarks. The police had turned up at his place without issuing any summons.

Here are some other recent instances where the Tamil Nadu police have been actively pursuing individuals critical of the ruling DMK:

• 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.
• Saravanaprasad Balasubramanian, 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.
• A member of TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK was arrested for posting a meme mocking the Tamil Nadu sports ministry led by Udhayanidhi Stalin.
• Political commentator Kishore K Swamy was detained for posts critical of MK Stalin related to monsoon preparations. Previously, he had been subjected to the Goondas Act for criticizing DMK leaders Karunandhi, Stalin, and Annadurai.
• DMK critic YouTuber-turned-BJP cadre Karthik Gopinath was arrested for raising funds for temples in Siruvachur, Perambalur district, which had been vandalized by miscreants.
• BJP supporter and political analyst Krishna Kumar Murugan was arrested in connection with alleged ‘defamatory’ posters caricaturing MK Stalin.
• YouTuber Maridhas was taken into custody for a video discussing Tablighi Jamaat and a tweet related to the late Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat.
• Naam Tamilar functionary Ganesh Kumar alias Nila Kannan was apprehended for posting an image of the late DMK leader Karunanidhi being served food by three different women.
• 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.

These are just a few of many arrests made in the recent past. The delay in the judicial process compounds the ordeal, as legal proceedings have yet to provide full respite in many of the above cases.

Muthu’s case is an alarming illustration of the challenges individuals may encounter when expressing their opinions against the DMK on digital platforms.

The Commune tried to reach out to the Thoothukudi police officials for comments but couldn’t get in touch.  

(The article was published on TheCommunemag.com on October 18, 2023 and has been reproduced here)