Twitter user issues rape threats against Sethupathi's daughter after actor pulls out of biopic

Chennai Police on Tuesday registered a case against a user of micro-blogging site Twitter for issuing rape threat to the minor daughter of popular Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi.

The Twitter user had on Monday night posted vulgar comments against the actor's minor daughter while issuing a rape threat. Soon, Twitter users tagged the handles of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Chennai Police Commissioner Mahesh Aggarwal and others seeking action against the man for his conduct.

“There has been lot of concern in social media regarding comments made in social media against a celebrity. On receipt of complaint to this effect a case in Cyber Cell has been registered,” Aggarwal said on Tuesday evening.

Police sources said a case under Sections 153 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot—if rioting be committed—if not committed), 294 B (sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words), of the IPC and Section 67 B (Punishment for publishing or transmitting of material depicting children in sexually explicit act, etc. in electronic form) of the IT Act.

Social media had responded negatively after Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi chose to pull out of Muttiah Muralitharan’s biopic 800, but this Twitter tweeted pictures of the actor’s underage daughter and added that she should be sexually assaulted, ‘in order for her father to understand’ the difficult lives led by Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Social media users were quick to condemn the tweet and call it out.

Many were 'disgusted' with the man's thought and some even asked the police to put ‘him behind bars’.

DMK MP S Senthil Kumar tweeted, “Are they human beings? Kindly track this person and put him behind bars,” and tagged the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the Chennai police’s official Twitter handles.

DMK's Kanimozhi also added that the incident is 'not only barbaric but extremely dangerous to the very fabric of our society'. She tweeted:

Tamil singer Chinmayee tweeted, “Why does this crappy society do this? Watch silently when this happens? How are men raised to speak out a rape threat? Why is it when adults fight like hyenas, the women and children have to suffer? Shame on all of you who do it and those who watch and remain silent.”

Tamil Nadu Police have taken cognisance of the matter and action has been initiated against him.