Youtuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar.
X/@SavukkuOfficial
Chennai: A group of people posing as conservancy workers allegedly trespassed into the residence of YouTuber and whistleblower Savukku Shankar here on Monday and ransacked the property, besides threatening his aged mother.
The attack took place on Monday morning when Shankar was away from his home and only his mother was in their house. Visuals showed the conservancy workers entering the house and dumping waste, which reportedly included human faecal matter.
Monday’s incident is significant since Shankar is one of the vocal critics of the DMK government and had been jailed for months together for his derogatory remarks on women police personnel. Social media was abuzz that the “trigger” for the attack on Shankar’s residence was a video in which the YouTuber called conservancy workers as “corrupt” and “lazy.”
Several political leaders condemned the attack on the residence of Shankar with Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram demanding that the perpetrators be booked immediately.
Another Congress MP and former Karnataka cadre IAS officer Sasikanth Senthil said acts of violence, regardless of who the target is, are unacceptable and have no place in a democratic society.
“It is important to reiterate that I neither share Mr. Shankar’s views nor have any association or communication with him. Our ideological positions are fundamentally different, and I stand in no agreement with his opinions or statements,” he said.
However, remaining silent on such physical attacks would be unjust and irresponsible, Senthil said, adding that appropriate action should be taken against the culprits.