Thirumurugan Gandhi remanded, shifted to Vellore prison

After detaining Thirumurugan Gandhi, the coordinator of May 17 Movement, yet again on Friday evening, City Police presented him before XVII Metropolitan Magistrate in Saidapet later in the night. When the judge sent the activist to 15-day judicial remand, police initially lodged him at Puzhal Central Prison, before shifting him to the central jail in Vellore citing security reasons.

On Thursday night, when he landed at Bengaluru airport from Geneva where he addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council over the police firing at Thoothukudi that killed 13 persons, the cyber crime police arrested Gandhi over a complaint against the speech. However, when he was produced before the XI Metropolitan Magistrate in Saidapet, the court refused to remand him and rebuked the police for arresting him. The magistrate ordered a 24-hour custody for interrogation.

However, after releasing him on Friday evening, the police arrested again within a few minutes in connection with another case. “He was arrested for conducting an agitation against the government in Royapettah in 2017,” police said. This time, Gandhi was produced before XVII Metropolitan Magistrate in Saidapet late on Friday night, who detained him to 15-day judicial remand until August 24.

The police first lodged him at Puzhal prison, but then transferred him to Vellore central prison on security grounds, sources said. The move drew widespread criticism from political, social and human rights activists, who flayed the police for engineering Gandhi’s arrest and detention to favour the ruling party and its government.