Social media commentator arrested in Tamil Nadu

Kishore K Swamy, a social media commentator known for his slanderous language, was on Monday arrested by Tamil Nadu Police for circulating defamatory contents against DMK founder C N Annadurai, late chief minister M Karunanidhi and incumbent M K Stalin.

Swamy, 41, was arrested on Monday morning following a complaint filed by the Kanchipuram district IT Wing of DMK. Ravichandran, the IT wing functionary, said the comments would create unrest in society.

Swamy has over 73,000 followers on Twitter and is a self-proclaimed supporter of AIADMK and BJP. He has been arrested twice in the past for his derogatory posts against women journalists.

The social media commentator is a known DMK baiter and often posts tweets against leaders from political parties other than the two parties he claims to support. One of his last tweets was against the DMK’s move to encourage women to become priests in the state.

Police said Swamy was booked under Sections 153 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot—if rioting is committed — if not committed), 505(1)(b) and 505(1)(c) of the IPC. After the arrest, Swamy was produced before a magistrate, who sent him to judicial custody.

Swamy was arrested in 2019 and 2020, but released immediately, for his abusive tweets against women journalists. Nearly a dozen women journalists in Tamil Nadu had filed complaints against him for his derogatory tweets and their profession on social media.

Though many welcomed Swamy’s arrests, there was condemnation, too. BJP vice-president and former Karnataka-cadre IPS officer K Annamalai termed the development as “unfortunate”. “Is it a crime to criticise the DMK family and its leaders? Is there no freedom of speech and expression? Do not suppress the voice of freedom of speech and expression,” he tweeted.