Kishore K Swamy, a self attested political activist who was arrested by Chennai police for circulating defamatory posts against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and former DMK leaders Annadurai and M Karunanidhi on June 14 has been detained under the Goondas Act on Friday.
Kishore K Swamy- a BJP and AIADMK supporter- was arrested on June 14 after DMK IT wing coordinator, Kancheepuram district, filed a complaint with the police in connection with Kishore’s Twitter post. The tweet that led to the arrest was against the announcement by the DMK government to allow women priests to perform poojas in the temple.
However, this is not the only complaint against Kishore, at least 8 other cases have been filed against him based on complaints of harassment. In fact after his arrest based on the DMK IT coordinator's complaint, Kishore was further arrested in two more cases. It is to be noted that Kishore was earlier arrested in October 2019 and July 2020 on the charges of harassing women journalists on social media but was released on bail.
As per the recommendation of the Central Crime Branch, the Chennai Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal invoked the Goondas Act against Kishore on Friday. The Tamil Nadu Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Cyber law offenders, Drug-offenders, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders, Forest-offenders, Sand-offenders, Sexual-offenders, Slum-grabbers and Video Pirates Act, 1982, otherwise known as the Goondas Act allows authorities to do preventive detention of habitual offenders. In three weeks time, the authorities have to present the case to an Advisory Board and no bail cannot be invoked till the detention order is cancelled by a court.
Speaking to TNM, a senior police official said, “As Kishore K Swamy’s activities are perpetual and in a manner that can breach social order, he has been detained under the Goondas Act today.”
Kishore was booked under Section 153 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), Section (1) (b) (Causing fear or alarm to the public) and Section (1) (C) (Whoever spreads communal rumours) of Indian Penal Code.
In 2020, the Tamil Nadu Women Journalists Forum and the NWMI in a complaint to former CM Edapaddi K Palaniswami stated that the Kishore had been targeting women journalists on Twitter and posting obscenities along with indulging in character assassination of the women journalists and instigating certain religious groups against the targeted women.