Trichy SP Varun Kumar temporarily left 'X' after being subject to derogatory online attacks on his family. He pledged legal action against the perpetrators
Trichy Superintendent of Police Varun Kumar has announced that he and his wife Vandita Pandey, also an IPS officer posted as Superintendent of Police at Pudukkottai, have chosen to stay away from ‘X’ temporarily in view of the derogatory comments spread against both of them on social media.
In a statement, Kumar said, “Coming from a simple family, my wife and I have decided to temporarily withdraw from these ‘X’ conversations out of concern for our three children, parents and relatives…We did not do it out of fear but disgust. Shame on those with twisted minds and cruel intentions who threaten to kill children who portray women in an obscene manner through fake accounts.”
Speaking about his humble family background, the IPS officer said that his paternal grandfather worked as a postman and his maternal grandfather had an agricultural seed business in Trichy. ”I have been working hard to solve the problems of women, children and the marginalized,” he said.
In 2021, a YouTuber with the background of a political party spread fake news and created a major law and order problem in Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu districts, he said. As the Tiruvallur District Superintendent of Police at that time, he arrested the YouTuber and booked him under the Goondas Act.
Recently, the YouTuber was booked at the cybercrime police station and was arrested for posting controversial defamatory content. “ The coordinator of the YouTuber-affiliated party lashed out at me (mentioning some caste names) at a press conference,” he said adding, “It went beyond criticism to the point of intense slander. So, I sent a Civil and Criminal Defamation Notice against it to the party’s coordinator through my lawyer.”
“Just because I had sent this notice in accordance with law, they went beyond me and spread abusive, obscene, defamatory messages and obscene and defamatory statements against my family members, women and children on the ‘X’ platform,” the IPS officer claimed.
Kumar also said that the pictures of his children and women in my family were depicted in a derogatory and obscene manner, which turned into a death threat for his family.
“These are all fake accounts and continue to do the same thing. It is learnt that many fake accounts were ordered to post obscene posts by paying Tamil-speaking people living abroad due to the instigation of the party,” he said.
The IPS officer said that out of the three complaints that he have has filed in the matter, three criminal cases have been registered and the cybercrime wing police are investigating the matter.
Explaining the rationale behind his decision, the SP said that given the responsibility on him and the trust people have in them, it is better to avoid any interference for the sake of the work they are undertaking.
“We don’t have to answer faceless cowards and cyber mercenaries. Where did they feel the need to attack my wife, children and family for doing my duty as a police officer?…At the same time, as an ordinary citizen, I am deeply concerned and outraged by such mercenary attacks on the Internet,” he said.
Speaking on the extent of such cyber-bullying, the SP said that if his wife, who is the District Superintendent of Police is subject to such trolling, one can imagine the extent to which they can reach if they decide to take on average men and women.
Kumar stated that three criminal cases have been registered in this regard and two people have been arrested so far. “Further investigations and arrests will continue,” he said adding, “It is certain that the people involved will be brought to court and punished. As a family member and as a police officer, it is my duty to thwart the activities of anti-social gangs that create social tension. I appeal to the common people who are subjected to such attacks to voluntarily lodge a complaint without any fear.”
The IPS officer said that he is keen to prosecute all the fake accounts spreading obscenity and defamatory content as per the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act 1998, Information Technology Act 2000, Bharatiya Justice Act 2023 and the Bharatiya Citizen Protection Act 2023.
Kumar also mentioned that he will file a defamation case against the party’s coordinator and two office-bearers. “I will continue to pursue these legal proceedings without any compromise,” he emphasized.
Appealing to people to file complaints against online abuse swiftly, the SP said, “Online abuse is something that must be dealt with by the iron hand of the law. No one, especially women and children, should put up with it. “
Advocating for a safe virtual space, the IPS officer said, “With social media being used by everyone, including children, we need to be safe and aware of such threats.”
This statement from Varun Kumar IPS has come after some of the Naam Tamilar Katchi functionaries have been making continuous defamatory remarks against him.
