The Tamil Nadu-Puducherry unit of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has condemned the arrest of Divya Bharathi, documentary film maker, in Madurai on Tuesday.
In a statement, R. Murali, general secretary, said that the arrest was carried out with an ulterior motive of suppressing the voice of protesters, especially women protesters. It was ridiculous on the part of police to arrest her in a case in connection with her participation in a protest held in front of Government Rajaji Hospital here in 2009, demanding safety and justice for the inmates of Dalit hostels after a student died of snake bite. As she had not been served any summons, she could not appear in court for the hearing, the statement said.
It was also unfortunate that some ruling party leaders were quick to link her to terrorist organisations.