Where is freedom of speech now? Tamil stunt choreographer arrested for his remark on atheist Periyar statue

Chennai, August 17: On the basis of a complaint filed by cadres of Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam, Tamil Nadu police have arrested famous stunt choreographer Kanal Kannan for passing a remark on Periyar EV Ramasamy. Police have arrested him under sections 153 and 505 (1) (b).

 

 

During the event, he raised questioned about the existence of a statue of the atheist, anti-Hindu demagogue Periyar outside Sri Ranganatha temple Srirangam. It should be noted that he raised the question without taking the name of the Periyar.

 

“Nearly a lakh Hindus worship at Sri Ranganathar temple every day. But opposite the temple, there is a statue of someone who said that there is no god. The day when that statue is broken will be the day we Hindus will rise,” Kanal Kannan said.

 

 

 

Kanal Kannan later sought anticipatory bail, which was rejected by the district court on Thursday, leading to his arrest on Sunday night in Puducherry. Kanan has worked as a stunt choreographer in several Tamil, Malayali, Kannada, and Telugu movies. He has also made special appearances in many movies.

 

Following the incident, BJP Tamil Nadu President Annamalai came out in support of the Kanal stating that it is unacceptable to have a statue on the way to the temple that says “There is no God and those who believe in God are fools”. He added that the statue can be kept elsewhere but not adjacent to the temple.

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