A 33-year-old man has been arrested in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi district for issuing death threats to a nine-year-old child, who played Dravidian ideologue and rationalist E V Ramasamy during a talent show on a Tamil television channel, the police have said.
The man, identified as Venkatesh Kumar Babu from Kovilpatti in the Thoothukudi district, issued the death threat to the child in a Facebook post. He said parents would be scared only if such threats are issued. He also asked why can’t the child play freedom fighters like V O Chidambaram Pillai, Muthuramalinga Thevar, Subramaniya Bharatiyar or Netaji Subash Chandra Bose.
According to the Kayatharu police in Thoothukudi, they booked Venkatesh Kumar Babu based on the complaint of DMK functionary Suresh Kannan last Saturday. Babu was arrested on the same day and was later remanded to judicial custody.
தந்தை பெரியார் பெயரல்ல; கருத்தியல்!
தலைமுறைகள் கடந்து மானுடச் சமுதாயம் பகுத்தறிவோடும் சுயமரியாதையோடும் வாழ்வதற்கான வழிகாட்டி!
கொள்கை உரத்தோடு தொலைக்காட்சி நிகழ்ச்சியில் பங்கெடுக்கும் பெரியார் பிஞ்சுகளை வாழ்த்தி மகிழ்ந்தேன்.
இது #பெரியார்மண்! கலைக்கு இடமுண்டு; களைகளுக்கு அல்ல. pic.twitter.com/on24VDLBoS
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) February 24, 2022
He was booked under sections 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc), 505 (1) (whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement rumour or report), 506 (1) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 67 of Information Technology Act. The members of Thanthai Periyar Dravida Kazhagam also lodged a complaint at the district police commissioner’s office.
Last Thursday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin met all the children who featured in the latest episode of the popular talent show Junior Super Stars on the Zee Tamizh channel. The children exhibited their talent on the ‘Mannum Mozhiyum’ (land and language) theme.
The children staged a skit based on the ideology of Ramasamy, fondly remembered as Periyar. The act starts with a child informing her mother that she has enrolled in an elocution competition and the topic given to them was Thanthai Periyar. She asks her mother about Ramasamy, who tells her Periyar taught about equality and that he also spearheaded the anti-liquor campaign. The mother also tells the child that women can work because of Periyar.
One of the children dressed as Periyar speaks about various subjects, including women’s liberation, right to education, eradication of caste, unity, among others. Another child delivers her speech on the greatness of Periyar in the elocution competition.
