AIADMK functionary held in Vellore for posting objectionable content about Minister Duraimurugan on social media

Police said ‘Pollachi’ Arunkumar, an AIADMK IT wing functionary, had morphed a photograph of the Minister, used it in a video and then shared the video on social media platforms; he was arrested based on a complaint from the DMK’s Katpadi area secretary

‘Pollachi’ Arunkumar was lodged at the Vellore Central Prison | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

An AIADMK IT wing functionary in Vellore, was arrested on Wednesday evening, on charges of spreading false and defamatory information against Minister for Water Resources, Duraimurugan, on social media platforms.

Police said that ‘Pollachi’ Arunkumar, the functionary, had been posting objectionable and defamatory content against the Minister, especially about his speech given in the Legislative Assembly on March 29, where Mr. Duraimurugan had said that his epitaph should read ‘Gopalapuram loyalist’ when he was buried.

In a complaint filed with the Katpadi police on April 1, Vanniyaraja, DMK’s Katpadi area secretary, said that Arunkumar has morphed a photograph of the Minister, taken from his Twitter handle, and had depicted Mr. Duraimurugan in a cemetery with some audio clips, and shot a video of this. Subsequently, the video was shared on social media platforms.

Based on the complaint, Arunkumar was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505 (publishing or circulating rumours) and under the sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000. He was subsequently arrested and lodged at the Vellore Central Prison.

Efforts are also being taken to prevent people from sharing the video on social media and other platforms, police said.