TRICHY: Folk singer
S Kovan, who was arrested by city police for allegedly using abusive lyrics against Prime Minister Modi, was granted conditional bail by the judicial magistrate court - I in Trichy on Friday.
Kovan and other members of
Makkal Adhikaram allegedly sang an abusive song while protesting for CMB in front of head post office in Trichy on March 24, 2018. Cantonment police registered an FIR against him and his team members on April 11 based on a complaint filed by BJP’s students’ wing district president N Gowthaman on March 27 and arrested Kovan on Friday.
A large posse of police personnel in plainclothes reached his house at Aravanur in Kulumani in Trichy on Friday noon and made the arrest. He and some of the members confronted the police, as they did not state the reason for his arrest. Kovan’s son
K Charuvahan, an advocate, alleged that the police manhandled him and some women when they protested his arrest. “We questioned them as the police were in plain clothes. They took my father away without stating any reason,”
Charuvahan said.
When Kovan was produced before the court, his counsel objected to the way he had been arrested by the police. They also maintained that Kovan’s song was not aimed at insulting the Prime Minister and sought his release. The prosecution counsel argued against this. After hearing the arguments, the magistrate ordered his release on conditional bail.
Speaking to TOI, Gowthaman said, “I happened to listen to the song when I was crossing the area. The lyrics of the song were abusive against the Prime Minister. I could not lodge the complaint the same day as I was on my way to a programme outside Trichy.”
Kovan was booked on charges of acting prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony, intentional insult to provoke breach of peace, inducing public to commit offence against the state.
It may be recalled that Kovan was arrested in December 2015 on charges of sedition for his song against Tasmac and former chief minister J Jayalalithaa.
Kovan was later released on conditional bail