Online news portal owner arrested

Booked Under Epidemics Act For Article On Corruption

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Coimbatore:25.04.2020

Founder and CEO of a city-based online news portal, Simplicity, Andrew Sam Raja Pandian was arrested by police late on Thursday based on a complaint lodged by a municipal corporation official. The complaint against Pandian was that his portal carried two news items - one about a protest by PG doctors against the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) authorities for not providing food and the other about the corruption in supply of rice in public distribution system (PDS) shops. Pandian was lodged at the Avinashi sub-jail early Friday. He was booked under two sections of IPC besides the Epidemic Diseases Act.

M Sundararajan, 50, an assistant commissioner (personal administration), Coimbatore city municipal corporation lodged the complaint with the RS Puram (law & order) police on Wednesday. Dismissing allegations against the Coimbatore authorities, the officer in his complaint said Simplicity had posted two news items – ‘PG doctors were struggling without food’ and ‘ration shop employees were looting the dole given by the government for ration cardholders’. Both the news items were circulated on social media, including Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. Such news instigated the government doctors, health department staff and ration shop employees against the government, the complaint said. If doctors boycott their work, there would be no frontline health workers to control the spread of Covid-19, said the complaint. If ration shop employees involved in strikes, there was a possibility of a law & order problem.

The officer requested police to take stringent action against Simplicity for publishing fake news against the government. Based on his complaint, RS Puram police sub-inspector R Mohanajothi registered a case against Pandian on Wednesday under IPC sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 505 (i) (b) (with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against public tranquility) and section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897.

The RS Puram police subinspector contacted photographer working for Simplicity Balaji and asked him to appear before the station for allegedly making a “nuisance call” to a woman. Later, reporter Jerald was also picked up for questioning. At least 20 journalists made a representation to the city police commissioner on Thursday night. After 10 hours of inquiry, Balaji and Jerald were let off.

DMK president M K Stalin, AMMK TTV Dhinakaran, actor-MNM leader Kamal Haasan, BJP leader Vanathi Srinivasan, Coimbatore MP P R Natarajan and various other leaders condemned the state government for arresting Andrew Sam Pandian “for publishing news with facts”.

DMK leader Stalin in a statement on Friday said when a pandemic had hit the country, AIADMK ministers were intent on targeting journalists instead of focusing on containing the Covid-19 outbreak.

“The arrest and jailing of Andrew Sam is illegal and is the height of arrogance. DMK condemns the AIADMK minister S P Velumani for using police to silence the media. Andrew Sam should be released immediately, and the media should be allowed to function freely,” Stalin said.

The Coimbatore Press Club, Tirupur Press Club and Tamil Nadu Women Journalists Forum condemned the police and state government.