The central government blocked Vikatan’s website on February 15 following a complaint from Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai over a political cartoon published in Vikatan Plus.
What is the cartoon about?
The cartoon was envisaged to showcase Prime Minister Modi sitting in chained silence, representative of India’s continued silence to the inhumane treatment meted out to its citizens, in the backdrop of the falling value of the Indian rupee and the obvious economic backlash anticipated in the event such treatment was objected to, by India.
The issue gained significance when compared to Colombia’s strong stance against similar deportation practices.
When the U.S. attempted to deport Colombians in handcuffs on military flights, Colombian President Gustavo Petro refused to allow the planes to land, stating that his citizens should not be treated like criminals.
This move brought both nations to the brink of a trade war, with Donald Trump threatening high tariffs on Colombian goods. However, Colombia stood firm, sending its own air force planes to bring back deported citizens with dignity.
The question arose — why is India, a global power, not taking a stronger stand for its citizens? Prime Minister Modi has often referred to all Indians as his family. If so, isn’t the handcuffing of Indian deportees akin to handcuffing a member of his own family? While economic considerations may justify diplomatic caution, shouldn’t humanitarian concerns take precedence?
Should India not be more vocal in addressing such violations of human dignity?
To address the questions raised by our readers, we have prepared this detailed FAQ.
When and why was Vikatan’s website blocked?
On February 15, Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai filed a complaint with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) and the Press Council of India, claiming that the cartoon was objectionable. Later that day:
Around 3:00 PM, officials from the Press Bureau of India visited Vikatan’s registered office to verify whether Vikatan Plus was available in print. It was clarified that it is a digital-only publication.
By 6:00 PM, Vikatan’s website became inaccessible to many users.
Vikatan’s technical team noticed a sudden drop in website traffic and escalated the issue to its domain service provider and Internet Service Provider (ISP), but no clear response was received.
On February 16, Vikatan received a notice from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. However, even in that notice, there was no mention that the website was blocked.
Did Vikatan portray the Prime Minister in a bad light?
Cartoons are an art form meant to portray situations in context and are expected to be illustrative explainers be taken in a thought provoking and humorous manner, even as they critique political figures and state leaders. Vikatan has a long history of political satire, having criticized leaders from Winston Churchill ( before independence) to Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, V P Singh, Narasimha Rao, Atal Behari Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh and current PM Modi.
We have been equally critical of our local CM’s from Kamaraj, Anna, Karunanithi, MGR, Jayalalitha, EPS, OPS and Stalin.
This cartoon was no exception.
[Click here to see the cartoon.]
Was the cartoon deliberately published while the PM was abroad?
No. The cartoon was published on February 10 in Vikatan Plus, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was still in India, after more than 2 batches of Indians were ‘returned’ in chains. His official trip began on February 13.
Why did Vikatan highlight the deportation issue? Isn’t illegal migration wrong?
Illegal migration is against the law, and the U.S. has every right to take legal action. However, handcuffing individuals during deportation, especially on a flight exceeding 10 hours, is inhumane and raises human rights concerns.
According to Advocate Rupali Samuel, an expert in Constitutional Law and the Supreme Court:
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“Bilateral arrangements on deportation between friendly nations exist at a diplomatic level but are not publicly disclosed. En masse deportation with restraints violates human dignity and is against international human rights laws.”
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“While India cannot intervene in another country’s actions on its soil, it can file a complaint before the UN Human Rights Committee under Article 41 of the ICCPR.”
The fact that External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar referred to the returnees as ‘irregular migrants’ is also significant. If they are not acknowledged as illegal immigrants, then why is the Indian government not negotiating better terms for their return? Shouldn’t India ensure that its citizens are treated with dignity during deportation?
Hasn’t deportation happened before? Why raise concerns now?
Yes, deportations have occurred under previous administrations, including the Biden administration. However, the key difference is that earlier deportees were transported via chartered flights without being handcuffed. The current practice of restraining individuals with handcuffs and leg chains during long-haul flights is an alarming and inhumane escalation, warranting greater scrutiny and diplomatic intervention.
What’s next for Vikatan?
Vikatan will present its case before the Inter-Departmental Committee on February 20 and expects a fair hearing. If the decision does not align with press freedom principles, Vikatan is prepared to pursue legal action.
This is not the first time Vikatan has faced government action:
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It was shut down by the British in 1942.
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Its editor was jailed in 1987.
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It has fought multiple defamation cases under various governments.
Vikatan remains committed to upholding press freedom and journalistic integrity.
Even after Modi’s visit to the U.S., reports confirm that deportees continued to be handcuffed. Daljit Singh, one of the deportees who arrived in Amritsar on Saturday night, described how they were restrained throughout the journey. “Our legs were chained, and our hands were also cuffed,” he told reporters in Hoshiarpur.