MK Stalin, Economist professor and CM Vijay
In a complaint to the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP), Kalaiyarasan stated that police personnel detained him from his home at 5am on Oct 28 in connection with a fake social media post.
He said he was taken away in a private vehicle, treated like a criminal and had his mobile phone taken away. Demanding a public apology from chief minister C Joseph Vijay, Stalin said he was shocked to learn that police had picked up the professor in a private vehicle in the early hours of Wednesday. Questioning the police claim that they detained Kalaiyarasan without knowing his identity, Stalin said the incident could not be overlooked. Calling the action an “atrocious approach” by the govt and police, he demanded a detailed inquiry and stringent legal action against those responsible.
They accused the C Joseph Vijay-led TVK govt of targeting academics and demanded an inquiry into the incident. After a two-hour ordeal, the officers dropped him back at his residence. The incident took place days after he gave an interview to a news channel on inflation. He accused the govt of allowing criminal elements to operate while targeting an academic. “Was he arrested for writing a book on the Dravidian Model and taking its message to a global audience? Or for exposing the unprecedented inflation under the TVK govt? Stalin asked. Questioning the police action over an allegedly fake Instagram page with fewer than five followers, Venkatesan asked why the same seriousness was not shown in protecting the reputation of a research institution with a history spanning five decades.
CHENNAI: Former chief minister M K Stalin and Left party leaders on Wednesday condemned the detention of economist and author Prof A Kalaiyarasan over a social media post allegedly not linked to him.