COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore city police arrested the managing director cum publisher of a city-based online news portal on Thursday on charges of allegedly publishing mischievous content.
The 39-year-old managing director of the online news portal from Ramanathapuram in the city was arrested by the RS Puram police, after receiving a complaint from Coimbatore Municipal Corporation Assistant Commissioner (Administration) M Sundarrajan earlier in the day.
The police said the publication of news on work by the corporation was allegedly mischievous.
He was booked under sections 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 505 (i) (b) (Statement conducing public mischief) of IPC and section 3 of Epidemic Disease Act, 1897. Earlier in the day, two journalists from the portal were investigated.
DMK condemns arrest
The opposition DMK has condemned the arrest of the Coimbatore-based publisher and said it was an expression of 'masculine' authority.
In a press release on Friday, DMK president MK Stalin slammed the Municipal Administration Minister SP Velumani for the arrest.
He further stated, “A web news portal Simplicity had published an interview of Coimbatore DMK MLA Karthick in which the MLA charged that the authorities and municipal administration minister SP Velumani had a lethargic attitude. Following this, the publisher and founder of the news portal D Andrew Sam Raja Pandian has been arrested and remanded. It is illegal and an expression of masculine authority.”
He further urged that at the time of the COVID-19 crisis, the government should drop anti-democratic activities and release the publisher of the news portal. The media should be allowed to work freely without any interference, he added.
Besides, MNM President and actor Kamal Haasan also tweeted calling for the release of the arrested publisher.