Kalaiyarasan detention: CM Vijay meets MIDS economist; minister admits police lapse

Facing criticism over the police detention of economist A Kalaiyarasan, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay met him at the Secretariat on Thursday (October 29).

The meeting came after Kalaiyarasan, Associate Professor of Economics at Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), was detained early in the morning by plainclothes Tambaram Commissionerate police personnel over an abusive Instagram comment posted from a fake account that used his photograph.

Director General of Police (DGP) Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal was present during the interaction. Reports indicate the Chief Minister expressed regret over the handling of the matter and presented the professor with a book.

Kalaiyarasan, a co-author of the Cambridge University Press volume The Dravidian Model: Interpreting the Political Economy of Tamil Nadu (with M. Vijayabaskar), had written a formal complaint to the DGP seeking intervention. In it, he stated: “I felt deeply harassed and humiliated by the way I was treated, without being given even a reasonable opportunity to explain myself.”

Kalaiyarasan's complaint

According to the complaint dated October 28, three plainclothes policemen arrived at Kalaiyarasan’s residence around 5 a.m. while he was asleep. Upon confirming his identity, they seized his mobile phone and informed him they were taking him to T4 Sankar Nagar Police Station in Pammal for an inquiry into a social media post. No authorising document, complaint copy, or FIR was produced.

Also read: Economist Kalaiyarasan detained over fake Instagram post

The officers alleged he had posted an abusive comment against Pallavaram TVK MLA J Kamatchi from an Instagram account. Kalaiyarasan maintains he does not own an Instagram account, does not know the MLA, and had never heard of her.

He was taken away in a rented private car (not a police vehicle) in his nightclothes, without an opportunity to inform his family. After the vehicle crossed Guindy, repeated requests led to brief use of the phone, during which he contacted friends.

Near Pallavaram, the car was parked by the roadside for about 45 minutes while the officers made and received calls. They then told him to return home. During the return journey, they showed him a screenshot of an abusive comment from the account @youvijayamani, which used his photograph as the profile picture.

Kalaiyarasan believes the image was taken from the Harvard University website, where he had served as a research affiliate. Upon reaching his apartment, he was asked to write a letter to the Inspector of Police (T4 Sankar Nagar) stating he had no connection with the account. His phone was returned only after the letter, and he was dropped home around 7:45 a.m.

Higher-ups intervene

“I am the victim in this case, as someone misused my photograph to create a fake Instagram account and post abusive comments against the person I do not even know of. Yet I was treated like a criminal,” he wrote. He expressed concern that such actions could discourage public participation in debate and academic engagement, describing it as “frightening” that police can knock on a door in the early hours and take someone away “for no fault of their own.” He sought action against those responsible for the unlawful detention, the creation of the fake ID, the posting of derogatory comments, and the maligning of his reputation.

Police sources have indicated the action stemmed from complaints by the MLA’s team about sustained online abuse. Officers reportedly used a reverse image search on the profile photograph to identify Kalaiyarasan. Local personnel in Pammal were said to be unaware of his academic stature until higher-ups intervened after his friends were informed. Senior officers later located the team and ordered his release once the mistaken identity became clear.

Kalaiyarasan is a noted development economist with a PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University. He has held positions associated with the Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog), the Institute for Studies in Industrial Development in Delhi, King’s College London, Brown University, IIT Bombay, and the National Law School of India University. He is not affiliated with any political party and has previously critiqued administrations across the spectrum. His recent public comments on inflation in Tamil Nadu described as concerning and above the national average have been cited by opposition leaders as a possible motive for the action.

Stalin condemns detention

DMK president and former Chief Minister MK Stalin condemned the detention in strong terms, calling it the “peak of fascism”.

In a statement and post on X, he highlighted Kalaiyarasan’s credentials including his Cambridge University Press book, JNU doctorate, prior Planning Commission role, contributions to the state economic survey, and membership of the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Governing Council and accused the TVK government of intimidating academics and critics.

Stalin alleged the professor was targeted for exposing price rises under the current administration, questioned whether the action occurred with the knowledge of the Chief Minister and senior officials, and demanded an unconditional public apology from both the police and CM Vijay. He rejected the mistaken-identity explanation, stating it was “impossible to believe that they arrested him without knowing his identity.”

CPI(M) state secretary P. Shanmugam and other Opposition voices also condemned the episode as police harassment and called for inquiries into the fake account, the complaint process, and procedural lapses.

VCK MP D Ravikumar raised broader concerns about the possible use of facial recognition technology by police and the ease with which social media accounts can misuse others’ photographs.

TN minister admits police lapse

Tamil Nadu Minister Nirmal Kumar admitted that the local police handling the case had committed a lapse. TVK figures have pushed back against claims that the case was politically targeted or retaliatory for economic criticism.

TVK representative Vivek Ganathan told The Federal that the fake account’s misuse of Kalaiyarasan’s photograph and the posting of abusive comments was “highly condemnable”. He recounted that Kalaiyarasan had called him around 5:56 a.m. on October 28 to inform him of the police arrival; the representative then spoke to the officers, emphasizing the professor’s long-standing academic credentials and contributions, and asserted it must be a fake account. School Education Minister Rajmohan was also contacted and expressed regret over the situation.

Vivek stressed that there was “not an iota of truth” in suggestions that the action was linked to criticism of price rises, government intimidation, or revenge against an economist. He noted Kalaiyarasan’s past difficulties under the previous DMK administration, including the alleged appropriation of the “Dravidian Model” concept he co-developed. He described him as an intellectual asset beyond party lines whose concern for Tamil Nadu’s progress is recognised by the TVK government.

The party and government expressed support for his complaint as a matter of individual rights and said instructions have been issued for a thorough investigation into the fake account. Minister Rajmohan’s conversation with MLA Kamatchi’s side indicated no connection between the complaint and her office.