Muthuvel, the district secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Ariyalur, was arrested by the police on Tuesday, March 13, on charges of extorting money from a parish priest in Ariyalur district. The complaint was lodged by Dominic Savio, the parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes in Ariyalur. The complaint alleged that Muthuvel demanded Rs 25 lakh and if he did not pay, he would tarnish the priest’s image by claiming that he harassed schoolchildren.
The police registered a First Information Report (FIR) under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 153 (provocation with the intent to cause riot), 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, race, place of birth), 298 (uttering words to hurt religious sentiments of any person), 389 (putting a person in fear of accusation to commit extortion), 504 (intentional insult to breach pace), 505 (i) (b) (intent to cause fear or alarm or fear to the public), and 505 (i) (c) (incite a community to commit an offence).
It is to be noted that Muthuvel played a major role in politicising the death of a schoolgirl named Lavanya from Ariyalur in January 2022. Lavanya was a 17-year-old girl who attempted suicide. Muthuven shot a video of Lavanya in the hospital bed and encouraged her to speak about her school’s attempt to convert her to Christianity. The videos shot by Muthuvel have been challenged because there were two videos of Lavanya doing the rounds, but only one mentioned religious conversion. Meanwhile, three days before her death, Lavanya recorded her statement before a magistrate, where she made no reference to religious conversion.
The FIR filed by Dominic Savio says that six months ago, he was approached by one Vinodh, who claimed that he had a recording of a conversation between himself and Muthuvel. In the recording, Muthuvel is heard speaking about a suicide case of a student in Thanjavur and planning to launch a campaign against Savio for harassing students.
A recording of a conversation between Vinodh and Muthuvel revealed that someone was willing to pay Rs 5 lakh to the latter to stage a protest and create a commotion. While no names were mentioned, Muthuvel is heard saying that these people were ready to bear all the costs needed to stage a protest. In the later part of the conversation, Muthuvel is heard telling Vinodh, “I will tell you the content, it will help you be prepared. You should say, ‘Action must be taken against the priest who is harassing Hindu girls. Hindus, please do not admit your children in this school.’”
Muthuvel also said that such messages would affect all Christian schools including Montfort and Nirmala, although he does not mention where these schools are located. Muthuvel further adds, “This must be done across Tamil Nadu. I can make people protest across Tamil Nadu. I will make arrangements for that also.” Muthuvel is also heard telling Vinodh that if he does these activities, he can also earn money like him.
Speaking to TNM, Ariyalur Superintendent of Police Feroz Khan said the incident took place six months ago. "A complaint alleging extortion of money was lodged and based on that we have secured the accused Muthuvel," he said.
Peter Alphonse, the Tamil Nadu Minorities Commission Chairman stated that this extortion was not an isolated incident. He said, “This is their [VHP’s] modus operandi. Not only schools but there have also been many such instances where right-wing groups threaten and extort money daily. The police should carry out a thorough probe into this matter.”
(With inputs from Shabbir Ahmed)