KARUR: Activist Mugilan was produced before the judicial magistrate at 2am on Wednesday and subsequently remanded to judicial custody. Contrary to expectations that he would be taken to the court, Mugilan was produced before Magistrate Vijay Karthik in his house amid tight security. The magistrate ordered Mugilan to be remanded for 15 days at the central prison in Tiruchy. As he was brought, Mugilan raised slogans against Sterlite and demanded arrest of those allegedly responsible for opening fire on protestors.
Mugilan was arrested in a sexual abuse case registered by Kulithalai AWPS on a complaint from a 32-year-old woman on March 31. The complainant had taken part in several protests with Mugilan. Mugilan’s wife Poonkodi told media that her husband had been framed. “Are we really in Tamil Nadu? Is this really India? When murderers and corrupt people roam about freely, my husband has been put behind bars. What has he done? Is protesting for the welfare of the people a crime in this country?”
Further, she alleged that Mugilan was brought to Karur in violation of the Chennai court's directive. “The court directed police to give him rest and produce him in Karur at 10 in the morning. They called us about half an hour ago and told us to come immediately to the magistrate’s house” Poonkodi further alleged that Mugilan was harassed mentally. “They tortured him asking about the evidence against Sterlite which he promised to release. They locked him in a dark room, tortured him physically and mentally, let dogs bite him. We’ll proceed legally on that” she concluded.