Surendran Natarajan, Senthil Vasan, Somasundaram and Gagan 

Journalists

Tamil Nadu

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on July 29, 2020 regarding fabricated charges against Mr. Surendran Natarajan, Mr. Senthil Vasan, Mr. Somasundaram and Mr. Gagan – journalists associated with YouTube channel Karuppar Koottam, and deletion of all channel contents. Mr. Surendran Natarajan, Mr. Senthil Vasan, Mr. Somasundaram and Mr. Gagan work with Karuppar Koottam, which creates social awareness videos on superstitions, women’s rights and Dalit rights.

On July 13, 2020, an FIR was registered against Mr. Natarajan and his associates under Sections, 153, 153A(1)(a), 295A, 505(1), and 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), based on the complaint of Mr. Paul Kanagaraj, former President of Madras High Court Advocate Association, and founder of Tamil Maanila Katchi, regarding a video on religious chants. 

On July 15, 2020, Mr. Saravana Kumar, Additional Superintendent of Police (ADSP), Central Crime Branch (CCB) raided Mr. Natarajan’s house with six police personnel including one woman without any search warrant. They forcibly took his wife, who has no connection with the case, to the police station without any prior notice and threatened to register an FIR against her. 

Mr. Natarajan surrendered before police, whereas Mr. Vasan was arrested on July 15, 2020. Mr. Somasundaram and Mr. Gagan were also arrested subsequently. The cybercrime cell of Chennai Police deleted more than 500 social awareness videos uploaded on the Karuppar Koottam channel without any notification.