Tamil Nadu police warn against spreading fake videos of North Bharatiyas clashing with Tamils

Tamil Nadu police has warned against spreading random videos with captions of altercation between non Tamils(North Indians) and Tamils. Recently two videos of arguments and altercation between Tamils and Bharatiyas from other parts of the country settled in TN went viral in social media. Many claimed that Tamils were attacked by others and posted comments inciting hate and violence against the latter.

Few weeks ago a video of a few Tamil men being chased by non-Tamils went viral on social media. SM accounts claimed that non-Tamils(mostly from North Bharat states) working in Tirupur industry attacked Tamils who came seeking employment. It evoked hate filled comments on social media with many asking to not provide employment to non-Tamils in the state. When the matter went out of hand police issued a clarification saying that it was only an altercation between individuals.

As per police account, on January 14 non-Tamil workers of a hosiery unit in Anupparpalayam, Tirupur came out for smoke during the tea break. 4 youngsters in an intoxicated state came to the Kirana shop where the former were smoking. One of the Tamil youngsters suddenly said that a non-Tamil migrant worker intentionally blew the smoke on his face and started a quarrel. The 4 youngsters started beating the migrant worker which attracted the attention of other workers. It resulted in an altercation and lasted till patrol police came to the spot.

The Tamil youngsters ran away and non-Tamil workers returned to the unit after spotting the police. No case was filed as no one came forward to file a complaint. But someone who witnessed the incident shared the video on social media and it was twisted into non-Tamils attacking Tamils. After the video went viral police booked two non-Tamil youngsters involved in the altercation and are on the lookout for the Tamil youngsters who provoked them.

In another incident, a Tamil man had inadvertently brushed his two-wheeler on a non-Tamil laborer as a result of which the latter’s phone was damaged. His friends who accompanied him argued with the Tamil man. The video was circulated as non-Tamils harassing a Tamil man with calls for removing the former from the state and denying employment to them in future.

However, police investigation revealed that the Tamil man agreed to pay compensation for the damaged mobile phone. The other side agreed to it and it was settled amicably. Police made the Tamil man record the sequence of events and shared the video to clarify things and issued a warning against spreading misinformation using such videos.

The North-South divide has widened after DMK came to power with ministers and other influential people repeatedly speaking against non-Tamils. Last year, the DMK government’s Revenue Minister advised Tamil Nadu Traders Association members to “get rid of North Indian traders”. “Only Tamil traders should do business in TN. People from other states or countries should not do business here”, he said.

Public Works Department Minister EV Velu also talked along the same lines saying,  “Laborers from North Indian states should not become dominant in the field. TN’s economy will improve only when Tamils are employed” while addressing builders and contractors in an event. Earlier when there was a threat of reemergence of Covid-19 virus, Health Minister Ma Subramanian alleged that North Indian students studying in the state were spreading the virus resulting in high number of positives in the state.

This has strengthened the Tamil Nationalists’ claim that non-Tamils have usurped employment and business from Tamils and hence should be chased away. As a result some anti-social elements are taking things into their own hands and start attacking non-Tamils creating a bad impression about the state.