All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday, May 7, demanded a judicial probe into the allegations of custodial torture of YouTuber 'Savukku' Shankar in the Coimbatore Central prison.
Shankar's lawyer Gopalakrishnan had alleged on May 6 that his client was tortured in prison after he was arrested from Theni on charges of using obscene language against women police officers in Tamil Nadu in his YouTube show. The lawyer also said that a medical check-up done before Shankar was lodged in the prison revealed that he was physically fine and had no injuries.
Palaniswami said that the allegations levelled by Shankar's advocate were serious, as he called for a judicial probe into the matter. He also demanded a fresh medical check-up of Shankar in the prison in the presence of a judicial officer.
Claiming that freedom of the press is being curbed in Tamil Nadu, Palaniswami said while Shankar has been put behind bars for using disparaging comments in his YouTube show, many functionaries of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam are roaming freely despite their involvement in similar crimes. Former Chief Minister Palaniswami also said that the law of the land should be the same for everyone.