YouTuber Maridhas was arrested by the Melapalayam police here on Thursday in connection with a case registered in April 2020 based on a complaint filed by the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK) functionary Mohammed Khader Meeran.
Maridhas was produced before Fifth Judicial Magistrate Vijayalakshmi, who remanded him in judicial custody till December 30 and adjourned his bail petition till Friday.
He was taken to the Theni prison.
In his complaint, Mr. Meeran had charged that Maridhas linked Tablighi Jamaat’s conference held in New Delhi in 2019 to the COVID-19 outbreak in Delhi and various parts of the country. He even went to the extent of calling it a “new form of terrorism” being unleashed by Muslims.
“By showing a Muslim outfit and Muslims in a bad light and holding them responsible for COVID-19 outbreak, Maridhas, with the malicious intension of creating enmity between Muslims and others, had posted the video on YouTube,” Mr. Meeran said in his complaint filed on April 4, 2020.
However, no action was taken on the complaint by the police.
Earlier on December 9, Maridhas was arrested by Madurai City Police for his tweet that Tamil Nadu was becoming a haven for terrorists under the DMK government by linking the chopper crash in Coonoor.
