Chennai:
Finance Minister P Chidambaram has this morning requested the release of a man who was arrested in Chennai for taking photos of him at the airport, but the police say he is being treated as a suspect now and only a court can decide on his release.
The Chennai police said today that 34-year-old Amir Tawah was not arrested for photographing the minister, but for breaching the minister's security cordon to take the photos. They also said that Mr Tawah has been charged with wrong restraint by a police sub inspector, who has complained that he prevented him from discharging his duty. "Had anything untoward happened, the police would have been held accountable; we treat him as a suspect now and let the court decide whether the man is guilty or not," a senior officer said.
The police arrested Mr Tawah after about 24 hours of interrogation and a magistrate remanded him to 15 days in judicial custody.
Mr Chidambaram said today in a statement, "I was surprised and disappointed to learn that a person who reportedly attempted to take some pictures of me was detained by the police at Chennai airport on 13.11.2012. I did not know about the incident until the media reported it yesterday (14.11.2012) evening. I have asked my office to get in touch with the Tamil Nadu Police and request them to release the person immediately." (Read full statement)
On Tuesday, Mr Tawah took pictures of Mr Chidambaram as the minister arrived at the Chennai airport to catch a flight to Delhi.
The police are also reportedly investigating why Mr Tawah, who had a first-class ticket to fly from Chennai to Dubai via Delhi, chose that circuitous route, instead of a direct flight to Dubai. He had "no explanation on why he chose the Chennai - Delhi - Dubai route," the police said, adding that they would thoroughly investigate Mr Tawah's background.
In October, the police said, the same person was interrogated by the police after he and his friend took pictures of the Chennai - Delhi dreamliner flight on board, and de-planed citing they were unwell.
Last month, Mr Tawah and another passenger who boarded an Air India Dreamliner flight to Delhi were interrogated after they took photos of the plane before insisting that they be allowed to leave the aircraft because they were unwell.
They reportedly provided contradictory information to the security officials who had questioned them at the time.
Recently, the arrest of a man in Tamil Nadu who posted tweets against Mr Chidambaram's son, Karti, was criticised as an over-reaction in a fierce debate online.
The Chennai police said today that 34-year-old Amir Tawah was not arrested for photographing the minister, but for breaching the minister's security cordon to take the photos. They also said that Mr Tawah has been charged with wrong restraint by a police sub inspector, who has complained that he prevented him from discharging his duty. "Had anything untoward happened, the police would have been held accountable; we treat him as a suspect now and let the court decide whether the man is guilty or not," a senior officer said.
The police arrested Mr Tawah after about 24 hours of interrogation and a magistrate remanded him to 15 days in judicial custody.
Mr Chidambaram said today in a statement, "I was surprised and disappointed to learn that a person who reportedly attempted to take some pictures of me was detained by the police at Chennai airport on 13.11.2012. I did not know about the incident until the media reported it yesterday (14.11.2012) evening. I have asked my office to get in touch with the Tamil Nadu Police and request them to release the person immediately." (Read full statement)
On Tuesday, Mr Tawah took pictures of Mr Chidambaram as the minister arrived at the Chennai airport to catch a flight to Delhi.
The police are also reportedly investigating why Mr Tawah, who had a first-class ticket to fly from Chennai to Dubai via Delhi, chose that circuitous route, instead of a direct flight to Dubai. He had "no explanation on why he chose the Chennai - Delhi - Dubai route," the police said, adding that they would thoroughly investigate Mr Tawah's background.
In October, the police said, the same person was interrogated by the police after he and his friend took pictures of the Chennai - Delhi dreamliner flight on board, and de-planed citing they were unwell.
Last month, Mr Tawah and another passenger who boarded an Air India Dreamliner flight to Delhi were interrogated after they took photos of the plane before insisting that they be allowed to leave the aircraft because they were unwell.
They reportedly provided contradictory information to the security officials who had questioned them at the time.
Recently, the arrest of a man in Tamil Nadu who posted tweets against Mr Chidambaram's son, Karti, was criticised as an over-reaction in a fierce debate online.
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