The Chennai police's Cyber Crime wing has registered a case against a social media user who issued a rape threat to actor Vijay Sethupathi’s minor daughter. The user was found threatening the actor’s underage daughter with rape due to the controversy around the movie 800. While many had criticised Vijay Sethupathi for accepting to play the role of cricketer Muthiah Muralidaran, who has supported the Rajapaksa family, the user's open threat shocked everyone.
Confirming the development, Chennai city’s Commissioner of Police Mahesh Aggarwal posted on his official Twitter page that a case has been registered on receipt of a complaint in connection with the incident. “There has been lot of concern in social media regarding comments made in social media against a celebrity. On receipt of complaint to this effect a case in Cyber Cell has been registered,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
There has been lot of concern in social media regarding comments made in social media against a celebrity. On receipt of complaint to this effect a case in Cyber Cell has been registered.
— Mahesh Aggarwal, IPS (@copmahesh1994) October 20, 2020
The FIR has been registered for provocation with intent to causing riot, using obscene language in public place and transmitting obscene material through the internet under sections 153, 294 (B) of the IPC and section 67B of the Information Technology Act respectively. The account meanwhile has been deleted on Twitter. It is unclear if Twitter took action or the user himself deleted the account after multiple screenshots emerged of other women he had threatened.
Several celebrities, politicians and users had demanded strict action against the social media user who issued the violent rape threat to Vijay Sethupathi’s daughter. Many also went on to tag the Twitter handles of the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the Chennai city police. The user has posted many defamatory and harmful tweets and threatened many other women too in the recent past.
Earlier on Tuesday, DMK MP Kanimozhi said that making women and children soft targets is a cowardly act and demanded swift action against the offender. “The perverse intimidation of Vijay Sethupathi's #daughter is not only barbaric but extremely dangerous to the very fabric of our society. Making women and children the soft targets is a cowardly act. The police should take stern action against the perpetrator,” she posted.
The perverse intimidation of Vijay Sethupathi's #daughter is not only barbaric but extremely dangerous to the very fabric of our society. Making women and children the soft targets is a cowardly act. The police should take stern action against the perpetrator.#VijaySethupathi
— Kanimozhi (கனிமொழி) (@KanimozhiDMK) October 20, 2020
Singer Chinmayi also expressed disgust and condemnation against the tweet.
“A Tamil man recording his difference of opinion. This is why many in this society stand in support of the predators. Is nobody in this system going to change this? A man who can say in public about raping a child is a criminal,” she posted. Expressing anguish asking why does the society watch silently when this happens, she added, “Why does this crappy society do this? Watch silently when this happens? How are men raised to speak out a rape threat? Why is it when adults fight like hyenas, the women and children have to suffer? Shame on all of you who do it and those who watch and remain silent."
The film 800, a biopic of legendary cricketer Muthiah Muralidaran, has been mired in controversy since it’s first look poster was released on October 13. Several politicians and film personalities including veteran director Bharathiraja called for the actor to back out from the film as Muralidaran was close to the Rajapaksa family in Sri Lanka. The Rajapaksa family was in power during the civil war that saw the murders of thousands of Tamil citizens. Finally, on Monday, Muthiah Muralidaran requested Vijay Sethupathi to back out claiming that he did not want the actor’s future to be ruined because of the film and then Vijay Sethupathi confirmed that he has withdrawn from the project.