New Delhi: In a controversial move, the Coimbatore police have arrested the founder of SimpliCity, a news portal, for two reports that highlighted shortcomings faced by government healthcare professionals and alleged corruption by some employees of the public distribution system (PDS).
Andrew Sam Raja Pandian was charged under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Epidemic Diseases Act after a complaint was filed by M. Sundararajan, an assistant commissioner of the Coimbatore Municipal Corporation. The complainant claims that the reports could ‘provoke’ healthcare professionals and PDS employees against the government and “derail efforts to fight the coronavirus”.
According to SimpliCity, the First Information Report (FIR) says the complaint describes the two news reports as ‘false’ and ‘provocative against the state government’. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody and has been lodged in the Avinashi Sub-jail. The portal added that before Sam was arrested, a reporter and photographer who were detained for more than 10 hours were let off.
According to reports, Sam was arrested for offences under Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by a civil servant), 505 (i) (statements conducing to public mischief) of the IPC and Section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act.
The first story, ‘No timely and adequate food, allege UG and PG Student Doctors at CMCH Hostel‘, reports that doctors who are pursuing their UG and PG at the CMCH hostel were forced to protest after “administrative mismanagement” led to them not receiving timely and adequate food/
The second story, titled ‘Looting at ration shops during lockdown, govt’s grant of Rs.1000 swindled, lament public‘, claimed that ration shop workers are “looting” provisions meant for the poor. The report says people complained about ‘swindling’ of provisions to the district collector, who “with immediate effect ordered the concerned Tahsildar’s to probe the issue and ensure people receive the relief without any discrepancies”.
A report by The News Minute said that the issue of food shortage at the CMCH was widely reported and that there is evidence of protest by doctors. “Following the protests, action was taken against the Dean of the college and even the Medical Superintendent was issued a show cause notice,” the website said.
John, a source close to Sam, told The News Minute that SimpliCity is being targeted because it is a “small organisation and can be squashed”.