Praise the DMK, and you’re protected; criticise it, and you’re hunted – intimidation has become the party’s standard tool to crush dissent in Tamil Nadu. Recent incidents, including the arrest of BJP functionaries and the attack on ‘Savukku’ Shankar’s home, only reinforce these claims.
Attack on YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar:
On 24 March, a group of miscreants, disguised as sanitation workers, stormed the residence of YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar, ransacked his home, terrorised his mother, and threw human faeces across the house, including in the kitchen, living room, bedroom, and dining area. Shankar, who was en route to his office at 9:30 am, was also attacked when stones were hurled at his vehicle.
என் வீட்டில் கழிவுகளை கொட்டும் சிசிடிவி காட்சி. pic.twitter.com/ZZQ6GpLBIR
— Savukku Shankar (@SavukkuOfficial) March 24, 2025
Shankar later shared details of the attack on social media, including screenshots of a video call allegedly made by one of the trespassers using his mother’s phone. Police, upon receiving the complaint, visited the scene but claimed that the intruders were angered by remarks Shankar had made in one of his YouTube videos, which they deemed offensive to sanitation workers. However, critics argue that this explanation is merely a cover-up for politically motivated intimidation.
நான்காண்டு திராவிட மாடல் ஆட்சி!
சவுக்கு சங்கர் வீட்டில் வீசப்பட்ட சாக்கடைக்கழிவுகளே அதற்குச் சாட்சி!
💥💥💥💥💥 https://t.co/FrGMMvH1ik pic.twitter.com/kSllmR2BJA— SanJeevan1721 (@Sanjeevan172) March 24, 2025
According to Shankar, the intruders also took his mother’s phone and used it to make a video call to him. Several cases, including drug peddling charges, were foisted upon him. He was detained under the Goondas Act, which was later revoked by the courts. He alleged that the police broke his limbs and attempted to eliminate him in prison, naming a jail officer as responsible.
Speaking to the media, he said, “For so long, I have been threatened with false legal cases. Today, my mother’s life, my life, and the lives of those with me are in danger. I see this as a direct death threat. If you dump faeces inside a house, how can one continue living there? What could be a more extreme attack than this? Think about it. They have thrown faeces and left it on the dining table. How can I stay here? They have broken the back door. Where will I sleep tonight? This is a clear message: I should not live at all.”
Shankar has long been a vocal critic of the DMK government and its alleged corruption. His revelations played a key role in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (IT) raids on former minister Senthil Balaji, leading to his arrest. Given his history of exposing corruption, many suspect that the attack was orchestrated to silence him.
#WATCH | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | On his house being ransacked, YouTuber Savukku Shankar says, "I broke a scam in the distribution of vehicles fitted with jet-routing machines to Dalit entrepreneurs. The scheme is sponsored by both the central and the state governments…This scheme… pic.twitter.com/Rcl80iLQjy
— ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2025
Arrest of BJP functionary Kanagaraj:
In another incident, Dindigul district’s former BJP president, Kanagaraj, was arrested for allegedly making defamatory remarks about a local resident’s wife in a video.
Meanwhile, Saravana Karthi, organiser of the Temple Protection Committee for Dakshin Bharath, was also detained. He had participated in a meeting in Nanganallur and was visiting Chennai to see an ailing friend when he was arrested. Despite his detention taking place in Chennai, the police falsely reported his arrest as occurring in Rajapalayam, claiming he had attempted to flee.
Sources close to him claimed that the police arrested him in Chennai without presenting him before a magistrate and took him to various locations to buy time for further instructions from their political bosses.
His alleged “crime” was raising objections to the reported appointment of a Muslim as a temple trustee in Ayyampettai near Thanjavur. Recently, newly appointed trustees of the Raghunathapuram Prasanna Rajagopalaswamy Temple took charge, one of whom was Nargis Khan. BJP leader H. Raja made the same allegation in a video, but the DMK’s IT wing-run fact-checking team dismissed it as false.
The fact-checking team prompted Nargis Khan to release a video claiming that he was named after a doctor who saved his and his mother’s lives during childbirth.
The police booked Karthi under two non-bailable and three bailable offences, including charges of creating communal discord between two communities (Crime No. 140 of 2025, Ayyampettai PS), based on a complaint regarding the appointment of Nargis Khan under the HR&CE department.
Arrest of BJP functionary Prithivi Raj:
In another case, BJP functionary Prithivi Raj was arrested after posting a video highlighting the poor condition of toilets within the Thiruchendur temple premises.
Industrialist and HCL founder Shiv Nadar had funded renovations and infrastructure improvements for the temple as part of a CSR initiative, spending several crores to enhance facilities for visiting pilgrims. However, Prithivi Raj alleged in his video that commodes, taps, and basins had been looted by miscreants, leaving the facilities unusable.
Enraged by the video, HR&CE officials directed the police to take action against him. A police team, including just one female constable, arrived at his house at 4 AM and forcibly broke open the main grill gate.
Hearing the commotion and the barking of their dog, his wife and son looked out through the window and saw a large police presence. The officers demanded that she open the door and asked whether her husband was inside. She responded, “My husband is not at home right now. He is not a criminal to run away.” She questioned their actions, saying, “Why have you come to my house so early in the morning? You have no search or arrest warrant, you refuse to disclose case details, and you won’t even name the police station. How can I believe that you are actually from the police?”
திருச்செந்தூர் கோவில் வளாகத்திலிருந்து வீடியோ வெளியிட்ட பா.ஜ.க. பிரமுகரைத் தேடி அதிகாலை 4 மணிக்கு வீட்டுக்குச் சென்ற போலீசார்..!#Tuticorin | #TiruchendurTemple | #BJP | #PolimerNews pic.twitter.com/hahA1L13F4
— Polimer News (@polimernews) March 24, 2025
The officers reportedly warned her that her husband was “talking too much” and that they would “teach him a lesson in our own way.” Later, when Prithivi Raj voluntarily appeared before the police with an advocate, he was arrested.
These are few incidents noted within 24 hours revealing how the DMK regime is stifling the voices of criticism.
In February, when Ananda Vikatan depicted PM Modi in fetters, sitting next to US President Donald Trump, over the deportation of illegal Indians in chains, Chief Minister MK Stalin condemned the blocking of the website and lashed out at the BJP calling it as “fascist nature.” The BJP, in turn, lodged a formal complaint against the magazine, accusing it of deliberately attempting to defame the Prime Minister.
Critics argue, “Let him first set his house in order before pointing fingers at others. It is like throwing stones from a glass house.” The DMK has a long history of intolerance towards criticism, dating back to when Karunanidhi became Chief Minister in 1971. They cite the case of Annamalai University student Udhayakumar, who opposed awarding a doctorate to Karunanidhi. He was later found floating in a pond, and his parents were forced to deny he was their son and retract their police complaint. “There are several such incidents we can cite,” say critics.
Critics argue that when Muslims, Christians, and leaders like Thol Thirumavalavan, A. Raja, and Udhayanidhi Stalin make inflammatory remarks against Hindus and their spiritual beliefs, they face no action despite police complaints. However, BJP leaders, Hindu organisations, and their functionaries are swiftly arrested with newfound zeal.
விஷ்வ ஹிந்து பரிஷத் திருக்கோவில் திருமடங்கள் பாதுகாப்பு பேரவை மாநில அமைப்பாளர் B Saravana Karthik Ji அவர்களை
நள்ளிரவில் தஞ்சாவூர் அய்யம்பேட்டை காவல்துறையால் சென்னையில் வைத்து சமூக வலைதள பதிவுக்காக கைது செய்யப்பட்டதாக தெரிகிறது
அய்யம்பேட்டை க்கு கொண்டு செல்வதாக தெரிகிறது எனவே… pic.twitter.com/DIVw29lGCZ
— Saravanaprasad Balasubramanian (Modi ka Pariwar) (@BS_Prasad) March 24, 2025
The police’s biased and one-sided actions have been criticised by the courts multiple times in the past. In this case, a complaint from a temple trustee led to police intervention.
