CHENNAI: An associate professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies, Kalaiyarasan A, has lodged a complaint with the DGP, alleging that he was illegally detained by the Tambaram City Police over a case of mistaken identity concerning a social media post targeting Pallavaram MLA J Kamatchi of the TVK. CPM state secretary P Shanmugam condemned the incident on social media.
In his complaint, narrating the ordeal that lasted nearly three hours, Kalaiyarasan said three policemen in plainclothes knocked on his Adyar residence around 5 am on Wednesday and took him away for inquiring about an abusive Instagram comment. Kalaiyarasan alleged that they took his mobile phone without showing him a complaint or FIR. However, after repeated requests, they gave his phone back to inform his family for a few minutes.
The policemen later showed him a screenshot of the comment, which was posted from an Instagram account bearing his photograph but using a different username. Kalaiyarasan said he did not know the MLA and denied having an Instagram account as well. He suspected that his photograph had been taken from Harvard University’s website, where he had been a research affiliate, to create the fake account.
Kalaiyarasan said the policemen, who initially said they would take him to Sankar Nagar station, stopped their vehicle near Pallavaram for around 45 minutes, during which they made and received several phone calls. They subsequently told him they had been instructed to take him back home. He was dropped at his residence around 7.45 am after submitting a letter to the police stating that he had no connection with the account.
Kalaiyarasan said he felt harassed and humiliated by the incident and sought action against those responsible for the alleged detention and impersonation.