Folk singer Kovan arrested for song against Modi

It is said Gowtham, a BJP youth wing functionary from Tiruchy City, lodged a complaint with the Cantonment police on April 11 in which he stated that the folk singer of Makkal Adhikaram Kovan and his group sang a song in front of the Head Post Office. It reportedly had derogatory comments against the Prime Minister. This, however, affected the public peace and humiliated the Prime Minister and appealed for action against the troupe including Kovan. He also demanded immediate arrest of the people, who have been spreading abusive language. 

The Cantonment police, who received the complaint, registered a case against Kovan and they arrested him on Friday. Later, he was produced before the Magistrate who let him off on conditional bail. 

He was later booked under IPC sections 153a (Promoting enmity between different groups), Section 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 505(1b) (Whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the state or against the public tranquility. 

It may be noted that Kovan was arrested in 2015, on charges of sedition, attempt to create enmity between social groups and sale of defamatory material. On that occasion, Kovan had taken on the Tamil Nadu government’s liquor shops – TASMAC – and made references to the then chief minister Jayalalithaa.