Have police and state security personnel been instructed to ban persons in black attire from government events and the Secreteriat in Tamil Nadu?
On Sunday, a Chennai-based journalist took to Twitter to share her ordeal after reportedly being barred from the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) — where Vice President Venkaiah Naidu was speaking — allegedly for being dressed in black.
Many journalists TNM spoke to shared a similar complaint, alleging discrimination for wearing black-coloured outfits at official events, especially those involving central government dignitaries, and even at the state Secretariat.
While the police department is yet to address the issue, government sources say that unofficial instructions have been issued since the colour black is ‘associated with black shirt protests’ in the state, undertaken by the main opposition party, the DMK.
Speaking to TNM, a journalist from a Tamil news channel said their news crew was subjected to multiple checks on Sunday at the airport, for the same reason. “We were at the airport where the Vice President had arrived. We had been issued media passes, we had our ID cards, and already underwent a round of security checks,” says the journalist.
When the security personnel noticed one member of the news crew wearing black as part of the overall attire, they were all reportedly made to undergo another round of checks. “They checked us and our equipment again," the journalist said.
The fear of black seems to have started from April last year, when massive black shirt protests rocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Chennai. Holding black balloons and placards saying 'Go Back Modi', hundreds of protesters in black attires hit the streets, expressing their anger with the central government over its delay in forming the Cauvery Management Board.
Similarly, journalists in the state recount a similar experience during the recent visit of the Prime Minister and Chinese President Xi Jinping to the city for the Sino-Indian informal summit.
A print journalist recalls how she was forced to change into a different attire at the event. “We were stationed along the route of the Chinese President’s convoy. I reached three hours early to get a spot and did my security check. But I was asked to go home and change since I was wearing a black top. They then checked my bag and took away the black cap I wore to protect myself from the heat. The roads were under lockdown so I could not have gone home and returned in time. I had to buy another top from a nearby store."
While the police are yet to address the allegations, a senior government official from the Tamil Nadu Information and Public Relations Department confirmed to TNM that unofficial instructions have been passed, orally, to prevent a potential ‘security nightmare’.
Journalists covering high profile events are required to wear their media passes prominently, and sit or stand in designated areas in any case. While acknowledging this, the official added, “But these are largely instructions passed on due to intelligence inputs from central agencies. So we have little say in it. When it comes to state government events, it usually depends on the officer in charge of security that particular day.”