Thirumurugan Gandhi

Last updated

Thirumurugan Gandhi
NationalityIndian
Alma mater Madurai Kamaraj University
OccupationPolitical activist
Movement May 17 Movement


Thirumurugan Gandhi is an Indian human rights activist and Geo-Political Commentator noted for founding the May 17 Movement. [1] The movement initially campaigned for the rights and justice for the killings of Eelam Tamil for their separate Tamil Eelam, primarily those affected by the last stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War.

Thirumurugan Gandhi advocates for the democratic aspirations of Eelam Tamils, Palestinians, Kurds, Catalonia, Kashmiris, Western Saharans and Sikhs. He has also spoken in the Geneva human rights sessions in the United Nations (UN) for the past three years in support of the nations without states, indigenous peoples and communities which have faced war crimes against the imperial forces. He has represented Tamil civil society in Permanent people's Tribunal for Sri Lanka in Bremen, Germany (2013).

On 29 May 2017, Gandhi along with four others were arrested under Goondas Act by Tamil Nadu police when they attempted to light candles in remembrance of Tamils who were killed in the conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. [2] Director Ameer Sultan, who also participated in this event, said that the arrest of Thirumurugan Gandhi was politically motivated. Director Vetrimaaran described it as an attack on freedom of expression. [3] [4] This particular arrest even they were asked to be released in United Nations Human Rights Commission. [5] [6] He was released on 20 September 2017 by Indian government. After his release, he strongly criticised the Indian government and accused it of suppressing the rights of Tamils. Thirumurugan Gandhi said, he is not afraid of oppression and will continue to fight for the rights of Tamils and Tamil Nadu. He considers the whole as a fight between Indian nationalism and Tamil nationalism. [7]

In 2016 Thirumurugan Gandhi alleged that BJP Government at the centre had secretly signed Trade facilitation agreement in World Trade Organisation (WTO) It suggests.

  1. Stop selling food items at low cost at Government outlets.
  2. Stop all types of subsidies: a) Subsidies on food items to consumers, b) Subsidies on power supply and fertilises to farmers.
  3. Allowing multinational companies to import food items to India which will totally affect Indian farmers and destroy Indian Economy.

He represented Eelam Tamil people and LTTE that how they were destroyed by International community in side event at the human rights council organised by Association Solidarité Internationale Afrique in Partnership with Association Bharathi Centre Culturel Franco-Tamoul, Association Des Etudiants Tamoules de France, and Swiss Council of Eelam Tamils and Zagros Human Rights Center held on 17 March 2017, 15h00 – 16h30 - Room XXVII UNOG, Palais des Nations.

Thirumurugan Gandhi said that The Syrian Civil War was an ongoing multi-sided armed conflict in Syria fought primarily between the government of President Bashar al-Assad, along with its allies, and various forces opposing the government. Thirumurugan Gandhi explains in depth of Syria War, why it is happening and what is the cause of the war? He also compares the same with Tamil Eelam War and said that it would happen in Tamil Nadu soon if Tamil people were unaware of geopolitics.

In July 2018, Gandhi spoke at the 38th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting about the May 2018 Thoothukudi Massacre in Tamil Nadu. [8] On 9 August 2018, Gandhi was detained by immigration authorities at Bangalore Airport on his return to India. He was handed over to Chennai Police by the airport police. Gandhi was charged under Section 124 A (sedition), 153 A (1) and 153 (b) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race etc.) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). [1] [9] He was produced in court the next day, where the police argued that a video of his speech uploaded by the UNHRC instigated hatred among people. Magistrate S Prakash refused to detain him and asked for him to be set free after interrogation. A few minutes after the police released him, he was again arrested, without warrant. [10] A video of the police kidnapping Thirumurugan Gandhi went viral on social media. [11] Then Tamil Nadu police took him to puzhal central prison and then he was shifted to Vellore Central Prison. [12]

On 24 August 2018, Gandhi was produced in court in a sedition case filed for his criticism of corporate influence in a Facebook video. At the court, Gandhi said he had been kept in solitary confinement in the Vellore prison, prevented from meeting his family, and prevented from answering calls of nature. [13] On 26 August, Gandhi was booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) by the Nungambakkam police. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. Karunanidhi</span> Indian politician, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

Muthuvel Karunanidhi was an Indian writer and politician who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for almost two decades over five terms between 1969 and 2011. He is popularly referred to as Kalaignar (Artist) and Mutthamizh Arignar for his contributions to Tamil literature. He had the longest intermittent tenure as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu with 6,863 days in office. He was also a long-standing leader of the Dravidian movement and ten-time president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam political party. Karunanidhi has the record of never losing an election to the Tamil Nadu Assembly, having won 13 times since his first victory in 1957. Before entering politics, he worked in the Tamil film industry as a screenwriter. He also made contributions to Tamil literature, having written stories, plays, novels, and a multiple-volume memoir. Karunanidhi died on 7 August 2018 at Kauvery Hospital in Chennai after a series of prolonged, age-related illnesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vellore</span> City in Tamil Nadu, India

Vellore, is a sprawling city and the administrative headquarters of Vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Palar River in the northeastern part of Tamil Nadu and is separated into four zones that are further subdivided into 60 wards, covering an area of 87.915 km2 and housing a population of 423,425 as reported by the 2001 census. It is located about 137.20 kilometres (85 mi) west of Chennai, and about 213.20 kilometres (132 mi) east of Bangalore. Vellore is located on the Mumbai–Chennai arm of the Golden Quadrilateral. Vellore is governed under a mayor and the Vellore Municipal Corporation. It is a part of both the Lok Sabha and state assembly constituencies of Vellore.

Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK), literally meaning Hindu People's Party, also pronounced as Indu Makkal Katchi (IMK), is a right-wing, Hindu nationalist party in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaiko</span> Indian politician

Vaiyapuri Gopalsamy, better known as Vaiko, is an Indian politician. He is a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India from Tamil Nadu. He is the founder and General Secretary of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), a political party active mainly in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He was earlier elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India from Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V. O. Chidambaram Pillai</span> Indian freedom fighter, first Indian helmsman and former leader of INC

Vallinayagam Olaganathan Chidambaram Pillai , also known as Kappalottiya Tamizhan, was an Indian freedom fighter and a prominent leader in the Indian independence movement. He founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company in 1906 to compete against the monopoly of the British India Steam Navigation Company (BISNC). He launched the first indigenous Indian shipping service between Tuticorin (India) and Colombo with the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (SSNC), competing against British ships. Tuticorin Port Trust, one of India's thirteen major ports, is named after him. Once a member of the Indian National Congress, he was later charged with sedition by the British government and sentenced to life imprisonment, and his barrister license was revoked.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi</span> Indian political party

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi formerly known as the Dalit Panthers of India or the Dalit Panthers Iyyakkam is an Indian social movement and political party that seeks to combat caste based discrimination, active in the state of Tamil Nadu. The party also has a strong emphasis on Tamil nationalism. Its chairman is Thol. Thirumavalavan, a lawyer from Chennai and its general secretary is the writer Ravikumar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Devananda</span> Sri Lankan politician

Kathiravelu Nythiananda Devananda, commonly known as Douglas Devananda, is a Sri Lankan Tamil politician, Cabinet Minister and leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party. Originally a Sri Lanka Tamil militant who fought against the Sri Lankan government for an independent Tamil Eelam, he became a pro-government paramilitary leader and politician. Due to his strong opposition to and vocal criticism of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, they unsuccessfully tried to assassinate him over 10 times. Devananda is a proclaimed offender in India and is wanted on charges of murder, attempt to murder, rioting, unlawful assembly and kidnapping. He was sworn in as Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources on 22 November 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binayak Sen</span>

Binayak Sen is a paediatrician, and public health specialist. He is the national Vice-President of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). He is the recipient of several awards including the Jonathan Mann Award, the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, and the Gandhi International Peace Award. He has been convicted of sedition by a local Court in India which was later upheld by the High Court of Chhattisgarh. He was subsequently granted bail by the Supreme Court of India on appeal. He is a member of the policy group for Police Reforms of Aam Aadmi Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi</span> 1991 massacre in Sriperumbudur, India

The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India, occurred as a result of a suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, India on 21 May 1991. At least 14 others, in addition to Rajiv Gandhi, were killed. It was carried out by 22-year-old Kalaivani Rajaratnam, a member of the Sri Lankan Tamil banned separatist rebel organization Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). At the time, India had just ended its involvement, through the Indian Peace Keeping Force, in the Sri Lankan Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HINDRAF</span> Political party in Malaysia

Hindu Rights Action Force, better known by its acronym HINDRAF ; is a Hindu-activism right-wing non-governmental organisation (NGO) with its renowned slogan of Makkal Sakti or Kuasa Rakyat translated as People's Power. This organisation began as a coalition of 30 Hindu NGOs committed to the preservation of Hindu community rights and heritage in a multiracial Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seeman (politician)</span> Indian politician and actor

Senthamizhan Seeman is an Indian politician, filmmaker and the chief-coordinator of the political party Naam Tamilar Katchi in Tamil Nadu. He is an advocate of the creation of vote bank for Tamils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamil nationalism</span> Ideology based on a Tamil nation

Tamil nationalism is the ideology which asserts that the Tamil people constitute a nation and promotes the cultural unity of Tamil people. Tamil nationalism is primarily a secular nationalism, that focus on language and homeland. It expresses itself in the form of linguistic purism, nationalism and irredentism, Social equality and Tamil Renaissance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K. Kamaraj</span> Indian politician (1903–1975)

Kumaraswami KamarajBR, popularly known as Kamarajar was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Madras State from 13 April 1954 to 2 October 1963. He was the founder and the president of the Indian National Congress (Organisation), widely acknowledged as the "Kingmaker" in Indian politics during the 1960s. He also served as the president of the Indian National Congress for two terms i.e. four years between 1964–1967 and was responsible for the elevation of Lal Bahadur Shastri to the position of Prime Minister of India after Jawaharlal Nehru's death and Indira Gandhi after Shastri's death. He was the Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha during 1952–1954 and 1969–1975. He was known for his simplicity and integrity. He played a major role in developing the infrastructure of the Madras state and worked to improve the quality of life of the needy and the disadvantaged.

Kumar Muthukumar was an Indian journalist and activist based in the province of Tamil Nadu, who came into prominence when he set himself on fire protesting against the brutal atrocities against the Sri Lankan Tamil people at the peak of civil war in the country. His death instantly triggered widespread strikes, demonstrations and public unrest in the state, most notably the manifestation of popular defiance of the Government of India ban against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which the people demonstrated carrying flags of Tamil Eelam, placards and images of the LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran in the funeral procession of Muthukumar. Subsequently, 6 more Tamils committed self-immolation in various parts of the globe including India, Malaysia and Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naam Tamilar Katchi</span> Indian political party

Naam Tamilar Katchi is a Tamil nationalist party in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">May 17 Movement</span>

May 17 Movement is a prominent Tamil National Civil rights movement fighting for the justice for the Tamil Genocide in Tamil Eelam & the rights of Tamils in Tamil Nadu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K. Radhakrishnan (police officer)</span> Indian Police Service Officer

Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, IPS is an Indian Police Service Officer of the batch of 1983, belonging to the Tamil Nadu Cadre. Currently, he is serving as the Director General of Police of the Civil Supplies, CID department of Tamil Nadu. Dr. K. Radhakrishnan did his PhD from the Department of Criminology from the University of Madras for seminal research on 'Tactical and Strategic Police Response to Communal Violence: Coimbatore, a case study', in October 2009. He received the Queen's Award for Innovation in Police Training and Development in 2002 and 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thoothukudi violence</span> 22 May 2018 incident in the Thoothukudi district of India

Thoothukudi massacre denotes events that took place on 22 and 23 May 2018 in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India. The violence took place during an ongoing protest against proposed expansion of a copper smelter plant run by Sterlite Corporation in Thoothukudi town. Police opened fire on the protesters, killed 13 people and left 102 injured. Several policemen were also injured during the protests.

References

  1. 1 2 R.sivaraman (9 August 2018). "May 17 Movement leader Thirumurugan Gandhi held in Bengaluru on charges of sedition". The Hindu– via www.thehindu.com.
  2. ↑ "Thirumurugan Gandhi detained". The Hindu. 30 May 2017. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  3. ↑ "Thirumurugan Gandhi detained for criticising Centre". The Hindu. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  4. ↑ "Tamil youth in UK protest against BJP-triggered detention of Thirumurugan Gandhi". Tamilnet. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  5. ↑ "திருமுருகன் காந்தி மீதான 'குண்டாஸ்': ஐ.நா.,வில் எழுப்பப்பட்ட கேள்விகள்!!". Vikatan. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  6. ↑ "திருமுருகன் காந்தி மீது குண்டர் சட்டம்.. ஐ.நா.வில் ஒலித்த எதிர்ப்புக் குரல்கள் !". Oneindia. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  7. ↑ "திருமுருகன் காந்திக்கு தமிழ் உணர்வாளர்கள் வரவேற்பு : 4 மாதங்களுக்கு பிறகு புழல் சிறையில் இருந்து விடுதலை". indianexpress. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  8. ↑ "Court refuses to detain activist Thirumurugan Gandhi". The News Minute. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  9. ↑ "Thirumurugan Gandhi held in Bengaluru for UN speech on police firing in Thoothukudi". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  10. ↑ "WATCH | Chennai cops detain activist Thirumurugan Gandhi minutes after court sets him free". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  11. ↑ "மீண்டும் கைது செய்யப்பட்ட போது போலீசாருடன் வாக்குவாதம் செய்த திருமுருகன் காந்தி!– News18 Tamil". News18 Tamil. 17 August 2018.
  12. ↑ "Thirumurugan Gandhi remanded, shifted to Vellore prison". 12 August 2018. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "Chennai police slaps another sedition case on activist Thirumurugan Gandhi". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  14. ↑ "Activist Gandhi booked again under Unlawful Activities Act - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.