Stalin condemns economist’s detention over fake Instagram account, seeks apology

• Economist A. Kalaiyarasan was detained over an abusive Instagram comment, then released after police established that he had no connection with the account

• DMK president M.K. Stalin condemned the early-morning action and alleged that the academic was targeted for criticising rising prices

• Stalin demanded an unconditional apology from chief minister C. Joseph Vijay and the police

DMK president M.K. Stalin on Thursday condemned the detention of economist A. Kalaiyarasan over an abusive Instagram comment attributed to an account using his photograph, demanding an unconditional apology from chief minister C. Joseph Vijay and the Tamil Nadu police.

Kalaiyarasan, an academic at the Madras Institute of Development Studies and co-author of The Dravidian Model, was taken from his Chennai residence early on Wednesday in connection with a comment targeting Pallavaram TVK MLA J. Kamatchi.

He was brought home nearly three hours later after police established that he had no involvement with the account. Sankar Nagar police inspector Rajasekar said the account carried the economist’s name and photograph, but denied allegations of harassment.

Stalin described the police action as the “peak of fascism” and accused the TVK government of attempting to intimidate an academic who had spoken about rising prices under the current administration.

The former chief minister alleged that plainclothes officers arrived at Kalaiyarasan’s home at dawn, took away his mobile phone and transported him in a hired vehicle without following proper procedure.

He questioned the explanation that the detention resulted from mistaken identification, arguing that the economist’s identity and public standing were well known.