INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
In 2015, Mr Kovan was arrested for allegedly criticising then Chief Minister JayalalithaaChennai:
Tamil
folk singer Kovan has been arrested for a song that criticises PM Narendra Modi besides taking dig at Chief Minister E Palaniswami and his
deputy O Panneerselvam. The song that also takes on the recent Rath Yatra by Sree Rama Dasa Mission Universal Society that entered Tamil
Nadu amid protests by opposition parties, went viral on video sharing platform Youtube.The video shows visuals of the Rath Yatra and Isha
Foundation's Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev dancing with the song in the background.Police say the action was taken after a complaint by BJP's youth
wing secretary in Trichy, N Goutham
Investigators have registered a case of promoting enmity, intentional insult to provoke breach of peace, intent to cause mutiny and alarm.In
the song, Mr Kovan says, "The story of a rule with slippers is in Ramayana
In Tamil Nadu Modi's two slippers rule." In the song, Mr Kovan also attacks PM Modi on the Cauvery issue.In 2015, the 56-year-old singer,
who's real name is Sivadas, was arrested for allegedly criticising then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in a video that demands closure of
It caricatured her as serving liquor to people besides slamming the state government's liquor policy
The song was viral on social media.The Chennai police then said, "It was a personal attack on Jayalalithaa and it attacks the state's liquor
policy which could trigger enmity among groups"
The case is still pending and Mr Kovan, a member of Makkal Kalai llakkiya Kazhagam, is out on bail.
