Police planned to strip me in custody, alleges cartoonist

He told reporters here that his cartoon ridiculing the authorities would have only made people angry and not incited them to revolt. 

“Even before his cartoon, the death of children had embarrassed the entire state government. Not many knew of the cartoon before, but my arrest made its reach wider,” he said. 

The government openly threatens those criticising it by such arrests, he said and added that he won’t be deterred by such actions. “I have criticised former Chief Ministers Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi even more strongly in my cartoons. But, since they had understood the freedom of speech and expression, I never felt unsafe. Those in the chair today are not leaders. These are the people who prostrated before car tyres. So, this arrest will in no way impact the way I work. In fact, I will draw cartoons about my arrest,” he said. 

Bala also said that the original plan of the authorities was to arrest him on Friday and keep him in their custody for at least two days. “When I asked them for the identity cards, they refused and arrested me infringing upon my rights,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the Press Council of India (PCI) has “noted with concern” reports of the arrest of G Bala by the Tamil Nadu police. “Taking suo motu cognisance of the issue, the (PCI) Chairman has directed the government of Tamil Nadu through the Chief Secretary, the Secretary (Home), the Director General of Police to file a reply statement and a report on the facts of the case,” the council said in a release.