The Centre has not made any statement regarding any action on Vikatan’s website. (PTI Photo)
Prominent Tamil media group Vikatan has alleged that its website was blocked after it published a cartoon in its digital magazine, Vikatan Plus, depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his hands and legs chained sitting across from US President Donald Trump.
The cartoon, published on February 10, came in the wake of several Indians being deported and flown back from the US in handcuffs. It also came just days ahead of Modi’s Thursday meeting with Trump at the White House.
The publication of the cartoon triggered outrage among several BJP supporters and leaders, with the party’s Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai raising the matter with both the Press Council of India and Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan. Annamalai accused Vikatan of defaming the Prime Minister and undermining India’s political and diplomatic efforts. He demanded immediate action against the media house.
The Centre has not made any statement regarding any action on Vikatan’s website. The group, however, said in a statement on social media that readers from different regions had reported being unable to access its site.
In the statement, Vikatan said it remained committed to independent journalism. “For nearly a century, Vikatan has stood firmly in support of freedom of expression. We have always operated with the principle of upholding free speech and will continue to do so,” it said.
The media house said the publication of the cartoon was an expression of free speech. It said it was investigating the reason behind the website becoming inaccessible and that it had reached out to the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for clarification.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin criticised the Centre over the incident. “It is not fitting for a democracy to block the media over their opinions. This is only another example of the fascist nature of the BJP government,” Stalin said, urging the government to restore the website.
Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express. Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority.
Expertise
Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews.
Key Coverage Areas:
State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor.
Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties.
Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu.
Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail.
His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism.
Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read More
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