Chennai: In a major setback to state government and police, a metropolitan magistrate court refused to remand May 17 Movement coordinator Thirumurugan Gandhi in a pending sedition case, on Friday. Even though the court directed to let Thirumurugan Gandhi free, the police arrested him again in connection with another case within seconds after releasing him.
This is the rare incident in which the court had refused to remand an accused causing the embarrassment to the state police. According to police sources, the Cyber Crime Cell of Central Crime Branch booked a case against him for raising the issue of 13 persons killed in the police firing during the anti-Sterlite demonstration in the 38th session of United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) recently. The CCB alleged that Thirumurugan Gandhi circulated his speech on social media and the content was seditious in nature and defamatory.
On Thursday morning, the Bengaluru police detained him at Kempegowda International Airport on his arrival from a European country following a lookout circular issued against him. He was brought to the city by road and taken to the residence of XI Metropolitan Magistrate S.Prakash in Saidapet for remand on Friday morning.
The magistrate had sought proof of the uploaded video on the Facebook. The magistrate also sought details of riots and public unrest triggered by Thirumurugan Gandhi’s alleged Facebook post. The magistrate asked the police to file a written reply to his queries.
Apart from refusing to remand Thirumurugan Gandhi, the magistrate directed the police to complete the interrogation with him in the 24-hour period from his detention and set him free later. Around 3 pm, he was taken to the building of Old Commissionerate for enquiry and was set free around 6.30 pm by police officers of cyber crime. He walked a few yards on the premises and police again picked him. Police said he was arrested in connection with a previous case booked against him for having conducted an agitation in 2017 in Royapettah.
This is not the first time Thirumurugan Gandhi is being detained for speaking against the Government. In September last year, Thirumurugan Gandhi was detained under the Goondas Act for attempting to stage a protest at the Marina Beach in memory of Tamils killed in Sri Lankan civil war.
