Chennai, January 28: The Tamil Nadu police have arrested MDMK leader Sathiyaraj Balu for an alleged defamatory Facebook post against PM Narendra Modi on Sunday, in which the PM is seen with a begging bowl. The police took action against the leader after the state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party filed a complaint against the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) leader.

According to the police complaint, filed by BJP, Sathiyaraj had shared a post in the social media where PM Modi was shown with a begging bowl in hand. The saffron party alleged that the post is meant to promote enmity against the Premier and based on that police filed the FIR under IPC sec 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) & 505(2) (Statements conducing to public mischief). PM Narendra Modi in Tamil Nadu: MDMK Stages Protest in Madurai Against His Visit.

The case is seen as a crackdown on freedom of expression, as people in both the political and social arena are debating that the Facebook post could have been condemned, but how can such arrests be made? Soon after the post went viral BJP in Tamil Nadu filed a complaint against the Nagapattinam politician.

Earlier in the day, MDMK founder Vaiko protested against PM Narendra Modi’s function in Madurai, in which the latter arrived to lay the foundation stone of a new AIIMS in Madurai and inaugurate three other super speciality units of hospitals in Tamil Nadu.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 28, 2019 10:50 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).