In February, MK Stalin led DMK government had suspended Dr Subbiah after he visited the ABVP cadre in Puzhal prison and had initiated an inquiry against him.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) strongly condemned the ‘vengeful illegal detention’ of renowned Oncologist Dr Subbiah Shanmugam by Tamil Nadu police on Saturday (March 19).
Dr Subbiah was arrested in an old complaint of car parking issue in his housing society, which was withdrawn by two parties with mutual consent.
Strongly condemning the arrest of Dr Subbiah, ABVP National General Secretary Nidhi Tripathi said, “The DMK government has stooped to an all-time low to weaken the fight of justice for Lavanya. First our 32 members were wrongly detained for 8 days and now they are trying to take vengeance from Dr Subbiah for meeting the students in jail. Such actions will not deter our commitment to fight for Lavanya and our fight against forceful conversions in educational institutions will continue with stronger spirit.”
A case was filed against Dr Subbiah around two years back, but the complainant lady in the case went for a compromise, as there was a misconception that had resulted in the case. A chain of vindictive actions by the Tamil Nadu Government against Dr Subbiah Shanmugam had begun after he met Ms Tripathi and other ABVP activists who were arrested last month for protesting peacefully at Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin’s residence, demanding justice for Lavanya.
MK Stalin led the DMK government, first removed Dr Subbiah from the position of Head of the Oncology department at Kilpauk Medical College in Chennai, and now the government has retaliated with digging an old complaint wherein a compromise has already been negotiated.
Calling the DMK government’s action draconian, ABVP National Secretary Muthu Ramalingam said, “The vindictive draconian act of DMK government is utterly shameful. The government is using all its machinery to wrongfully strangle a common person. The matter was already compromised and no action whatsoever has been sought by the complainant or the court. This attitude of the DMK government is condemnable.”
Lavanya, a 17-year-old girl in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur, was allegedly forced to commit suicide for her refusal to convert to Christianity. She had consumed poison on January 9 and struggled for her life in a hospital for ten days before succumbing on January 19.
In her dying declaration, Lavanya had said that there was pressure on her to convert to Christianity. She was tortured after she refused to convert.
Lavanya’s parents were demanding a CBI enquiry in the case as they were not satisfied with the Tamil Nadu Police’s enquiry. In a judgment on February 14, the Supreme Court upheld the Tamil Nadu High Court’s decision to transfer the Lavanya suicide case to the CBI. On February 15, the CBI registered an FIR in the case and started the investigation. The ABVP has been demanding justice for Lavanya.
The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court had severely reprimanded the Tamil Nadu Government for its lackadaisical attitude in investigating the Lavanya Suicide case.
