Former Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) R Nataraj, was on Friday, November 24, booked by the Trichy cybercrime police for allegedly spreading malicious messages on WhatsApp against the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government. Nataraj, who was also a former AIADMK MLA, was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology (IT) Act.
As per reports, the charges booked against Nataraj include promoting enmity between different groups on religious grounds, intentionally provoking public disturbance, spreading rumours to incite fear and personation via communication devices.
The case against the former DGP was registered based on a complaint by a 40-year-old advocate P Sheela, who is also an office bearer of the advocate wing of the DMK in Trichy.
The Trichy District Police in a statement had said that advocate Sheela lodged a complaint that Nataraj had spread a fake message on a WhatsApp group called ‘Public Defense Prosecution’ saying that “If the DMK has to win by the votes of the Hindus, such victory is not needed. The DMK has not stooped low to win in the election by getting the votes of Hindus’.
According to Sheela’s complaint, Nataraj had attributed this message as being stated by Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin and shared it on the group with the picture of Stalin alongside the statement like it is a news clipping.
Earlier, speaking at a wedding function in Chennai, MK Stalin had accused Nataraj of indulging in a smear campaign. The Tamil Nadu CM had vehemently denied the statements that was spread by the former DGP that DMK did not need the votes of Hindus.