Chennai: Former chief minister M K Stalin and leaders of various political parties on Thursday condemned the detention of Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS) professor A Kalaiyarasan over a fake social media post, accusing TVK govt of targeting critics with police action. In an apparent damage-control exercise, Vijay met the professor at the secretariat while law minister C T R Nirmal Kumar said he apologised to Kalaiyarasan.“It was a mistake on the part of local police,” Nirmal Kumar said. Stalin and other leaders demanded an inquiry into who ordered the detention of Kalaiyarasan.Demanding that Vijay tender an apology for the “illegal” detention, Stalin questioned whether the professor was targeted for writing a book titled ‘The Dravidian Model’ and exposing govt’s failure to control price inflation. Stalin said TVK has outdone BJP in targeting academics.In his complaint to Tamil Nadu DGP, Kalaiyarasan said police picked him up at 5am on Oct 28 (Wednesday) over a fake post bearing his photo, snatched his phone and transported him in a private vehicle without explanation. “I was humiliated by the way I was treated without being given even a reasonable opportunity to explain,” he said. After a nearly two-hour ordeal, they dropped him back at his home.“It is frightening to note that police can knock on someone’s door in the early hours and take them away for no fault of theirs,” Kalaiyarasan said, raising concerns that such acts may discourage public participation in debates and academic engagement.CPM MP S Venkatesan said the detention episode over an Instagram post on a handle with just five followers was worse than breaking open prison gates. He demanded a detailed inquiry and stringent legal action against those responsible. AMMK general secretary T T V Dhinakaran, NTK chief Seeman, CPM state secretary P Shanmugam and CPI state secretary M Veerapandian too condemned the incident.VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan said the detention could have happened without the CM’s knowledge. Regardless, the police action was unacceptable.As the incident triggered widespread outrage, Vijay invited Kalaiyarasan to the secretariat and spoke to him for around 20 minutes. Ahead of the meeting, Nirmal Kumar told reporters that he had called the professor and apologised for the incident.
