Opposition parties led by the DMK and the Congress on Monday demanded in the Assembly that the FIR registered by the Coimbatore police against Tamil TV news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai and film director Ameer on charges of “promoting enmity” be withdrawn. Journalist organisations too staged protests in various parts of the State urging the government not to target media organisations.
However, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami stood his ground saying while his government respected freedom of expression, it had the duty to prevent incidents that would create communal tension and pose a threat to law and order.
Replying to Opposition leader M.K. Stalin, Congress leader K.R. Ramaswamy and others who urged the government to withdraw the case, Mr. Palaniswami said the police had been conducting a probe into the incident and a final decision would be taken at the end of the investigation.
Verbal clash
Mr. Palaniswami added that the TV discussion also touched upon the “Thoothukudi incidents”. Any debate on the issue, according to him, would create a problem though the law and order situation was normal in Thoothukudi. He said it was also improper to hold a discussion given the ongoing judicial probe into the incident.
Last week, a verbal clash had erupted during a roundtable discussion organised by the channel in Coimbatore after Mr. Ameer made certain remarks that angered supporters of the BJP, who then disrupted the discussion. Legislator U. Thaniyarasu supported Mr. Ameer.
