Why this singer has been charged with sedition

Kovan, a folk singer in Tamil Nadu, was arrested on October 30 for criticising the state government in a song distributed on the Internet. Kovan was charged with sedition among other alleged crimes.

His son Saruvagan, a practicing lawyer, explains his father's side of the story to A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com

Kovan is a member of the Makkal Kalai Ilakiya Kazhagam. This, his lawyer son Saruvagan says, is a people's art and literary association, which has been operating for the last 30 years. The Makkal Kalai Ilakiya Kazhagam promotes social messages through art.

In the past the Makkal Kalai Ilakiya Kazhagam has protested against sand mining in Tamil Nadu and also campaigned for better education in the state. Kovan was in charge of the arts group at the Makkal Kalai Ilakiya Kazhagam.

Saruvagan said there have been protests in Tamil Nadu for the past five months against liquor shops being run by a state government-owned company. "The song, which has been the reason for my father's arrest, was prepared by our arts group. My father sang it. It was also uploaded on the Internet," he said.

On October 28 a First Information Report was registered by the Tamil Nadu police's cyber crime branch, alleging that the Makkal Kalai Ilakiya Kazhagam was inciting hatred amongst people.

"Many poor people are losing all their money due to liquor addiction," Saruvagan said. "How can opposing this be anti-national?" he asked.

His father was arrested from his home in Tiruchi at 2.30 am. When Saruvagan asked the policemen the reason for the arrest, they asked him to come to the local police station.

When Saruvagan went to the police station at Woriyur, he discovered it was locked. Later, the local police inspector informed him that the Chennai police had arrested his father.

Saruvagan then wrote to the district collector informing him about the arrest. At 9.30 am he received a phone call from Cyber Crime Inspector Melvin that Kovan had been arrested and he should go to the Chennai police commissioner's office to meet his father.

"We have opposed the sedition charges in the high court," Saruvagan said. "We are filing a writ petition to quash the FIR in the high court."