Casteist Slur: Meera Mithun's friend to appear in court on Monday

Actor Meera Mithun's friend Abhishek Shyam, who was also seen in the video where she made casteist slur, has been arrested by the Chennai Crime Branch police. He will be produced in court on Monday.

Meera Mithun, who made the casteist slur against Scheduled Caste directors in the Tamil film industry, was arrested from Kerala on Saturday and brought to Chennai on Sunday. She was produced before a court in Saidapet on Sunday itself and is now lodged in Puzhal central prison for 14 days till August 27. Shyam was arrested on Sunday as well.

The actor was picked from a private resort in Alappuzha in Kerala by the Chennai Crime Branch police after she did not appear before the investigating officers even after getting a summons.

She had released a video before her arrest in which she alleged that she was being harassed by male police officers and that she would be tortured. Meera Mithun had told the media that she was not given food for one full day while she was being taken to Chennai from Alappuzha.

Meera Mithun was booked under Sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with the intent of causing riot), 153A (promoting disharmony and enmity by words), 505( 1)(b) (intent to cause fear to any section of the public), 505 (2) (public mischief) of IPC and three other sections of the SC/ST Act have been put on her.

Leader of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and former Member of Parliament, Vanni Arasu filed a complaint against her at the Saidapet Police station after she appeared in a video and made casteist remarks against the SC/ST community.

The Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front also filed a complaint against her. The Dravidar Liberation Organisation Madurai district secretary Mani Amuthan, too, filed a case with the Madurai Police commissioner against Meera Mithun.