MAKING OF A 'GOONDA' - DIRECTED BY TAMIL NADU POLICE

 

I know V Anbalagan for 13 years, I have known him as a journalist and worked with him when he was in Nakkeeran as a Chief Reporter. For some journalists he is fearless and for some he is a fake journalist and now even an extortionist. 

The opinion about Anbazhagan in the media industry is divided. He has friends and he has lots of enemies within the industry. Since I know him for so many years, my observation about him is that he can't be controlled. He has a mind of his own and will do what he wants to without bothering about the consequences. 

I don't know if he is corrupt or not. But what I know is that he is the reason why the the 'high and mighty' got sleepless nights because of him filing RTI queries and complaints. He would create a flutter by splashing posters across Tamil Nadu with the photos and names of IAS officers accusing them of indulging in wrong doing.

I have had arguments with him regarding his style of journalism on many occasions and Anbazhagan will have his own justifications. But it's is this very attitude of his that seems to have landed him in trouble. 

Complaint against TN Minister Velumani

On 25 April 2017, Anbazhagan filed a detailed complaint to the CBI, narrating various instances of bribery by the Minister of Local Administration S.P.Velumani. The very next day, he was arrested by Coimbatore District police based on the complaint of one Parthiban, Assistant Coimbatore Municipal Corporation (His name also figures in the complaint sent to the CBI) that Anbazhagan demanded Rs.2 lakh and criminally intimidated him.  

Later in an attempt to ensure that Anbazhagan does not get bail, the FIR was altered and fresh section under the Scheduled Caste & Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 was added that Anbazhagan abused the complainant on the basis of provoking him by his caste.

Till now more than 25 cases have been slapped against him in various police stations in Coimbatore and Chennai. In all the cases the allegation against Anbazhagan is that he had demanded money and criminally intimidated the complainant.  

What has raised many eyebrows is the fact that all the complainants are officials of Local Administration Department of the Tamil Nadu government which comes under TN Minister SP Velumani against whom Anbazhagan had filed a complaint with the CBI.

Every 15 minutes there was complaint filed by a Local Administration department officers

It is pertinent to note that S.P.Velumani had sent a legal notice to Anbazhagan with regard to an article written against him seeking Rs. 5 crore as compensation which was replied through an advocate. The Minister went on to file a lawsuit before the Hon'ble Madras High Court in CS No. 378 of 2017.
 

There seems to be a clear pattern and it’s obvious that the police was acting under pressure. The manner in which the complaints were lodged and FIR’s were registered in no time clearly shows that it was done to harass Anbazhagan. The timing and the identical nature of the complaints raises more question on the conduct of Tamil Nadu Police. 

Complaint filed by a Town Planning Inspector

In all the six FIR's filed in Avadi police station the crime has been committed at the same time

Only names of the complainant changed all other contents remain the same

Ctrl C & Ctrl V = Names Changed

What is even more surprising and shocking is the way the police has been investigating this case. Never before in any case of criminal intimidation the police have sought the custody of an accused and the residence was searched. But in case of Anbazhagan the police took some unusual steps to seek custody of the accused for further investigation. Only god knows what they managed to investigate. But what we know is how Anbazhagan was systematically harassed; one day Coimbatore police will seek his custody and take him to Coimbatore for interrogation. The next day Chennai police will seek his custody and bring him back to Chennai. 

If this is not harassment then what is? The complaints are also similar in nature and from the complaint it appears that Anbazhagan seems to have threatened various government servants within a span of one week. 
  

First FIR against Anbazhagan

The FIR mentions Anbazhagan was at Parthiban's residence at 4 pm threatening him and demanding bribe

Most of the complaints mention that Anbazhagan visited their respective area and threatened government officials. The complaint by Parthiban mentions that Anbazhagan visited him at his residence in Coimbatore on 23-04-2017 and demanded Rs. 2 lakh bribe and threatened him with dire consequences if he fails to give him the money.  

If Anbazhagan was in Coimbatore on 23^rd April threatening Parthiban then I am very curious to know what Anbazhagan was doing at his residence in Poonamallee on the same day. Thanks to CCTV’s for exposing the lies, the cameras installed at Anbazhagan residence clearly shows that he was present in Chennai and that too at his residence.

CCTV: Anbazhagan leaves his residence on a bike to Coimbatore to threaten Parthiban?

 

CCTV: Anbazhagan returns home after threatening Parthiban in Coimbatore in an hour or so?

CCTV footage has been submitted by Anbazhagan's counsel

If this is not enough, yet another complaint by a contractor from Thiruverkadu claims that Anbazhagan visited his area at around 10.30 am on 22.04.2017 and demanded specifications about his contract and when he refused to oblige Anbazhagan started threatening the contractor. He also demanded bribe and later assaulted him. This case was slapped against him to detain Anbazhagan under the Goondas Act.

Anbazhagan threatened a contractor at 10.30 am in Thiruverkadu

According to the FIR Anbazhagan used a wooden log to attack the government contractor

WOW! What a cooked up story. CCTV footage of Chennai press club shows Anbazhagan gets dropped at the Press Club at around 10.51 am. So if you go by the FIR Anbazhagan was in Thiruverkadu at around 10.30 am threatening a government contractor and he managed to reach Chennai Press Club located in Chepauk in 21 minutes, which unless Anbazhagan is superman or he somehow managed a Chopper & clearance for a landing zone in Press Club.

Anbazhagan after threatening the contractor he took a chopper and landed at the Chennai Press Club at 10.51 AM?

Anbazhagan leaving the Chennai Press Club in his chopper?

Anbazhagan at the Chennai Press Club waiting

According to google map it takes nearly 52 minutes from Thiruverkadu to reach Chennai Press Club which is located at Chepauk. According to the FIR Anbazhagan was in Thiruverkadu threatening and assaulting a government contractor at 10.30 am and at 10.51 am he was at the Chennai Press Club. This is just amazing. Even Rajinikanth cant do something like this...

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This is just the tip of the iceberg to show how all these complaints are fake and were foisted with malacious intention to harass Anbazhagan. If this is not abuse of law then what is? And the highest of these atrocities is that Anbazhagan has been detained under GOONDAS Act, which is to prevent rowdy elements and anti-social elements from coming out on bail.  

By any stretch of imagination Anbazhagan can never be termed a Goonda or a rowdy element. It appears as if the police officials, in order to please their political masters without any inhibition had detained an editor of a magazine under the Goondas Act.   

If the police was serious about investigating the complaints in a free and fair manner they would have first gone through Anbazhagan's call records to know if the claims made by the complainants are true or false.  

 

A perusal of the call records would clearly reveal the location of Anbazhagan and the CDR of Anbazhagan would reveal everything and will also clearly establish that he had never made the alleged threatening calls to the complainants demanding money. 

Well one cannot expect that from the police when the orders are loud and clear. I am not shocked by the attitude of the police because they are doing what they are being told to do. But what is appalling is that several senior police officers who know about the sheer abuse of law and procedures remain a mute spectator and in fact were instrumental in the registration of this slew of cases.   

What is shocking is the way media is reacting to the arrest of Anbazhagan. Except a few none of them are bothered about it and I feel that's because of their prejudices they hold against this man based on issues relating to press club and the ongoing ego battle between several journalist unions. So much so that one Tamil TV channel has gone on to brand him as Fake Journalist & extortionist just because Anbazhagan published a book exposing the wrong doings of the owners who are high profile politicians in the State.

A section of journalists who are deeply involved in the Press Club politics are relishing his arrest and went to the extent of pasting posters throughout the state which could not have been done without any sponsors. Without realizing that what happened to Anbazhagan can happen to them tomorrow.  

Journalists have been questioning his credentials. Someone wanted to know if he is a real Journalist or a fake journalist. One particular news Tamil news channel calls him a fake journalist. Well it’s a complex question to answer because I am not sure who certifies a journalist. I am myself not sure if I am fake journalist or a true journalist. Who decides who is fake or genuine? In all these years I have not come across any competent authority who certifies journalists as fake and genuine.

If one may recall, Nakkeeran office was attacked by AIADMK goons for publishing a controversial cover story on Jaya. "Maatu Kari Thinnum Mami nan' (I am a beef eating bhramin) the magazine office came under attack for one whole day. The police were just mute spectators and the political terror continued for hours.  

Not many journalists were ok with Nakkeeran's story and the headline but at the same time no one was justifying or relishing the state sponsored violence that was unleashed against the magazine office.  

If Anbalagan had published something wrong there are laws and legal provisions to punish him. But harassing him by foisting false cases is just unacceptable and it's a brazen attempt to undermine the rule of law.

What happened to Anbazhagan is just the beginning. With the change in political scenario in the State it looks like its only going to get worse. Jaya was only filing defamation cases and now her cronies have taken this threat and intimidation to a new level. The only thing police has forgotten to mention in the FIR's is this... 

As journalists our unity is our only strength and if this trend is allowed then any journalist can be easily branded as a Goonda in Tamil Nadu. Today, it’s Anbazhagan and tomorrow it may be YOU!!