YouTuber’s Repeated Detention Under Goondas Act Shows DMK Government Has No Qualms About Vendetta Politics

The Tamil Nadu Police has once again detained YouTuber and political commentator Savukku Shankar under the Goondas Act, just days after the Madras High Court set aside his earlier detention under it.

While the earlier detention was for his controversial remarks about women cops, this time it was in connection with a case filed against him for possession of ganja, that was registered by the Theni police. This, however, marks just one of many legal challenges he faces.

There are around 17 FIRs against him which have been filed in locations spread across the state. A lot of them are regarding the same comments and are thus being seen as a means to make any bail he gets from the courts ineffective.

While there are certain safeguards like the need for an advisory board to approve of the action, application of the Goondas Act would allow the police to detain him up to a period of 12 months, with extensions being necessary only every three months.

Why The Perception That The Government Is Going After Him

Two reasons stand out — the defeat of the state government in the court and the reaction of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) supporters to the second detention.

Setting aside the detention order, the bench comprising justices S M Subramaniam and V Sivagnanam had said that speeches criticising the government or exposing corruption in administration could not be considered as a threat to public order. 

The reactions of DMK supporters — clearly unable to contain their glee and going to the extent of criticising allies if they decided to stand up for Shankar, was another giveaway.

The best example was what is being considered as a reaction to a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Karti Chidambaram, the son of Congress leader and former finance minister, P Chidambaram, calling the detention wrong.

Hours after Karti's post, DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai shared a video of Rahul Gandhi ignoring Karti while entering Parliament. The video had gone viral a few months ago.

Savukku Shankar Was Pretty Successful In Shaping Public Opinion Against The DMK

He has spoken about irregularities said to have been committed by G Square, a real estate firm alleged to be close to the ruling party, criticised the plan for a Formula 4 racing event in Chennai which is believed to be the brainchild of Udhayanidhi Stalin and exposed corruption in the award of contracts for hotels wishing to cater to passengers of state government buses amongst many other such issues.

He was thus actively shaping public opinion against the ruling party.

One of the things that stuck with the people and caused a lot of embarrassment for the DMK were his repeated allegations of Chief Minister M K Stalin not having much control over the administration and that a select group of bureaucrats alongwith his personal secretary and assistant Dinesh, were the ones actually running the show. 

The allegations gained credence when the state’s Minority Affairs Minister Gingee Masthan mentioned Dinesh by name during a speech in the state assembly.

Shankar's videos were quite popular and a lot of people used to eagerly await his interviews — on his own channel, ‘Savukku Media’ as well as others such as ‘RedPix’, which was run by Felix Gerald. While the language used by Shankar was inappropriate at times, the duo were a hit in the Tamil Nadu politics space on YouTube.

Gerald was also arrested for airing the interview in which Shankar had made his controversial comments about women cops and only recently got bail.

Lately, Shankar had begun to be seen as not just a YouTuber but also a political rival because he often praised Edappadi Palaniswami and people believed that he was close to the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

He had his fair share of enemies in the bureaucracy as he often exposed their corruption. His background as a whistleblower and sources within the government made him a formidable threat.

Therefore, there is little doubt that his latest detention is due to political vendetta. The DMK government’s efforts to brush that perception aside is not being helped by the fact that the regime has a poor record when it comes to respecting the freedom of speech. 

Even a cursory glance at the list of arrests of opposition leaders and supporters for remarks made on social media is enough to convince the common man of the government’s intentions.

Also Read: Who Is The Real Savukku Shankar?: A Whistleblower Or A Hired Hatchet Man Of Police And Politicians Or A Crazy Conspiracy Theorist?