Cartoonist arrested for caricature of politicians freed on bail

NEW DELHI: A cartoonist was arrested by police in Chennai for depicting the region’s top government functionaries in a “derogatory” caricature, sparking criticism over the move as an attack on freedom of the press.

G Balakrishnan, 36, a freelancer with an online news portal, was held in Chennai on Sunday for the caricature that blamed chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and top officials for not acting against loan sharks active in the state.

He was charged with publishing defamatory and obscene material under the Indian Penal Code as well as the Information Technology Act, crimes punishable with three years in jail, police officer Anita Arokyamery said. “He was produced before a court on Monday which released him on bail. The court told him to make himself available for questioning as and when the police requires,” she said. After his release, Balakrishnan told reporters he would continue to highlight the inefficiencies of the government through his work.

Balakrishnan drew the cartoon after a worker immolated himself and three members of his family in the Tirunelveli district, unable to bear harassment by a money lender who lent him money at a high interest rate. The arrest sparked a controversy after media groups planned a protest in Chennai saying it was an attempt to quash free speech and silence critics.