Chennai:Ā Tamil magazine Nakkeeran editor R R Gopal
was today arrested by the police for allegedly publishing a defamatory article against Tamilnadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit.
A team of city police officials arrested Gopal at the Chennai airport when he was about to board a flight to Pune.
Assistant commissioner of police Vijayakumar interrogated him for an hour from 7 am and then effected the arrest.
He was taken in a police vehicle from the airport to Chintadripet police station for questioning after which he was to be produced before a magistrate court for judicial remand.
The arrest followed a complaint from Raj Bhavan that he had published stories linking the office of the Governor with assistant professor Nirmala Devi, who was recently arrested for trying to lure college girls to do sexual favours for top officials in return for marks and money.
Nirmala Devi was arrested April after an audio clip of her purported conversation with girl students went viral on social media in which she was heard asking them to give sexual favours to officials for marks and money.
Police sources said there were reports in Nakkeeran linking the Governor and his office to the sex scandal. The reports, they said, also cited multiple visits of the main accused in the scandal, Nirmala Devi, assistant professor of Devanga Arts College in Aruppukottai in Virudhunagar district, an affiliate of Madurai Kamaraj University, to Raj Bhavan.
It is learnt cases were registered under Sec 124 of IPC (attacking President, Governor, etc., with intent to compel or restrain the exercise of any lawful power) against Gopal.
VAIKO DETAINED
Media organisations and leaders of various parties, including DMK president M K Stalin, MDMK general secretary Vaiko, PMK founder S Ramadoss, CPI-M State secretary Balakrishnan and VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan condemned the arrest of Gopal and demanded his immediate release.
Vaiko, who came to meet Gopal, was arrested as he staged a dharna in front of the Chintadripet police station after police denied him permission to meet the journalist.