The Chennai police have filed a case against Viduthalai Sigappi, an assistant director to filmmaker Pa Ranjith, based on a complaint alleging that he had insulted Hindu gods including Ram and Sita. The FIR has been registered by Abhiramapuram Police based on the complaint by Suresh Parthasarathy, a leader of the right-wing outfit, Bharath Hindu Munnani. The AD has been charged with inciting unrest and insulting a particular faith Sigappi for reciting a satirical poem about fatalities from manual scavenging during a celebration of Dalit History Month organised by director Pa Ranjith’s Neelam Cultural Centre on April 30. A part of his poem went viral, and people on social media sought action against him.
After knowing this, Tamil filmmaker Pa Ranjith condemned the case registered against Viduthalai Sigappi and added that the video was taken out of context. He stated that Viduthalai Sigappi was giving a speech about deaths caused by manual scavenging when he commented while reciting a poem about whether the deaths would be noticed if the Gods were subjected to a similar ordeal. This was done to emphasise the point that the system turns a blind eye to the deaths of the underprivileged who are engaged in manual scavenging.
In addition, the statement claimed that threats against Viduthalai Sigappi had been made in the previous three days by organisations that were “trying to turn creative freedom into a communal issue." The police and the Tamil Nadu government were also criticised by Neelam Cultural Centre for filing the FIR.
While talking to The News Minute, one of the representatives of Neelam Cultural Centre, said that this poem was for individuals to put themselves in the shoes of the victims of the manual scavenging deaths. The response to this poem reveals that people are more shocked and incensed by the made-up scenario than by the actual deaths brought on by manual scavenging. This is the precise social argument that the poem is attempting to express. Thus, reading the poem literally would be a mistake.
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