MADURAI
K. Divya, documentary film-maker and advocate, has alleged harassment by a team of police personnel, who searched her house without any warrant in the early hours of Tuesday and adopted a high-handed approach in trying to take her for investigation without issuing summons.
According to the police, the ‘inquiry’ was related to the trailer of her upcoming documentary film ‘Orutharum Varala (No one came)’, which was critical of the State and the Central governments for their alleged failure in saving lives of hundreds of fishermen during Cyclone Ockhi.
Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Divya said the drama began on Monday night when some plainclothes policemen inquired her father Karnan, who ran a petty shop near her house in S. Alangulam, without divulging any details. On Tuesday morning, more than 15 police personnel, almost all of them in plainclothes, visited her house when Mr. Karnan and her partner S. Gopalakrishnan were present.
“I was in Perambalur for some personal work. My father told me that the police entered the house from different directions by scaling the compound wall. They searched all rooms and checked my books and computers,” she said.
Mr. Gopalakrishnan said the police refused to reveal their identity or the reason for the search. “Only an Inspector and a couple of women police were in uniform,” he said.
Ms. Divya said the drama continued when she left Perambalur on hearing the news and reached Madurai district court complex later in the day. “As I and Mr. Gopalakrishnan were leaving the court complex on a two-wheeler, a group of plainclothes policemen blocked the vehicle and took away the keys,” she said.
P. Kanagavel, an advocate, who was at the spot, said the Inspector of Police showed his identity card after many advocates insisted on his producing the ID card. “The card said he belonged to Salem City police. However, he claimed that he belonged to Madurai rural police,” he said.
The police team left the campus only in the evening after stiff opposition from a group of advocates. Ms. Divya said she was planning to move an anticipatory bail petition.
When contacted, Venkatesan, Inspector of Police, who led the team, said no new cases had been registered against Ms. Divya and they only wanted to get some ‘clarification’ regarding her documentary. He refused to answer when asked to which police station or wing he belonged.