YouTuber Sattai Duraimurugan held
CHENNAI: Tiruvallur police arrested YouTuber ‘Sattai’ Duraimurugan on charges of spreading rumours about the hospitalisation of women employees of Foxconn, leading to the protests on Chennai-Bengaluru highway which affected the traffic for several hours on Saturday.
Police said Duraimurugan first tweeted that four women employees succumbed in the hospital, and in his YouTube video went on to claim that nine women have died which the government is trying to cover up as Covid-19 deaths.
Police said video and Twitter posts created by Duraimurugan created confusion and unrest among the firm’s employees, who refused to withdraw the protests at Oragadam despite clarification given by Kancheepuram collector and SP. “Since it created ripples in Tiruvallur district as well, Tiruvallur Taluk police registered a case against Duraimurugan based on a complaint by Poonamallee Tahsildar,” said a senior police officer.
He was arrested under Sections pertaining to instigating riot, promoting enmity between groups, negligent in spreading infection, insulting modesty of women and sedition. He was also booked under Section 3 of Epidemic Diseases Act and Section 54 of Disaster Management Act. He was picked up from his house in Tiruchy on Sunday night and remanded in judicial custody till January 3.
On Sunday, MGR Nagar police arrested activist Valarmathi for her Facebook post regarding the health of female workers of Foxconn. Thiruvallur police have also clarified that the two staff of the canteen where food was prepared for the employees have been arrested and a separate case has been registered against the institution’s chairperson and the principal for letting the college hostel to be used by the private firm to house their employees.