Tamil writer Nellai Kannan arrested for hate speech against PM Modi, Amit Shah

Perambalur: Tamil writer Nellai Kannan has been arrested by the police in Perambalur on charges of making hate speech against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah during a protest against Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The Tirunelveli Police had registered the FIR against the writer for the speech delivered at a meeting, which was called by the Social Democratic Party of India on December 29 last year.

Ever since his inciting speech, BJP workers in Tamil Nadu had been demanding the arrest of Kannan over his statements. Earlier on Wednesday, the saffron camp had staged a protest at Marina Beach in Chennai demanding the arrest of Kannan. The Chennai Police even detained several BJP leaders, including H Raja, La Ganesan, Pon Radhakrishnan, and CP Radhakrishnan, from the venue.

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The police have booked Kannan on the basis of multiple complaints filed by BJP leaders. The BJP state leadership had condemned Kannan's anti-CAA speech and "nobody will accept his utterances".

"It is highly condemnable. Nobody will accept these utterances of Nellai Kannan. In fact, he spoke at a Muslim rally. The Muslim leaders who were present on the dais should have condemned it, "BJP state secretary had said this to news agency ANI.

Kannan has been booked under Sections 504, 505(1) and 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code. The charges on him include intentional insult to provoke breach of peace and intent to cause fear, alarm or disruption to the public life

Since the enactment of CAA on December 12 last year, protests have erupted in various parts of the country including the national capital.

The CAA grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and came to India on or before December 31, 2014.