Tamil Nadu CB-CID, on Thursday, 10 July directed playback singer and radio jockey Suchitra to take down her video on the Sathankulam custodial deaths of Jeyaraj and Beniks. Following the direction, the singer deleted the video from her social media accounts.
In a note issued to the media, the CB-CID alleged that the video which Suchitra released on the custodial deaths of Jeyaraj and Beniks in Sathankulam was flagged to her by the police.
“Ms Suchitra’s descriptive narration of the incident is baseless and is not truly indicative of the real happenings. In this video she falsely exaggerated and sensationalised the chain of events and her allegations seems to be a figment of imagination and is not backed up by any proof,” reads the press note.
Adding that the CB-CID did not find any substance in the allegations made by Suchitra in her video on investigation, the note says that the video promotes hatred against the police.
“Ms Suchitra has now taken down these falsified contents on it being flagged to her,” the note mentions.
Suchi’s video on Jeyaraj and Beniks’ custodial death on her Instagram account was shared widely by many and brought national attention to the issue. The radio jockey who is currently hosting a show on Radio Mirchi has been active on her social media accounts over the past few months. Comparing the Thoothukudi father-son duo’s death to the death of George Floyd in the United States of America, a black man who was choked to death by a police officer, Suchi rallied for justice.
Since her first video, Suchi has been posting updates on the case, calling for more support. Her video had been shared by other celebrities and politicians from across the country.
The CB-CID’s claims that the Madras High Court had appealed the media to not misinterpret or mislead the proceedings and observations of the court and not to conduct media trials on the case. However, it is unclear why the CB-CID has asked Suchitra to remove the video without providing proof in the form of the post mortem report.
(This article was originally published in The News Minute and has been reposted with permission.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)