MIDS professor claims police harassed over fake Instagram account

A. Kalaiyarasan is an economist and author of The Dravidian Model, published by Cambridge University Press. He has held academic and research positions in India and abroad and writes on the economic development and public policy of Tamil Nadu. | Photo credit: mids.ac.in/kalaiyarsan/

Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS) Associate Professor A. Kalaiyarasan claims three plainclothes policemen took him from his residence in Adyar to investigate an offensive social media post without showing him the complaint or the FIR. He claimed his photo was misused to create a fake Instagram account.

In a complaint to the Director General of Police on Wednesday (Oct 28, 2026), Prof Kalaiyarasan said the police arrived at his residence at around 5 am and seized his mobile phone after confirming his identity. They told him that he had been asked for an inquiry at T4 Sankar Nagar police station in Pammal over an allegedly offensive comment directed at Pallavaram TVK MLA J. Kamatchi.

Prof Kalaiyarasan denied having an Instagram account or knowing the MLA. He claimed the police took him away in a rental car without showing him an official ID or allowing him to inform his family.

After reaching Pallavaram, the police reportedly kept the vehicle parked by the road for about 45 minutes while making and receiving calls. They later told him they had been instructed to take him home.

During the return trip, they showed him a screenshot of a comment posted from an Instagram account with his photo but with the username @youvijaymani. Professor Kalaiyarasan said he was unaware of the account and suspected his photo was taken from the Harvard University website, where he was a research affiliate.

After returning to his residence, he was asked to provide a written statement denying any connection with the account. He said he sent a letter to the T4 Sankar Nagar police inspector that the bill was not his, after which the police returned the phone to him and took him home around 7.45 am.

Prof. Describing the incident as harassment and humiliation, Kalaiyarasan urged the DGP to take action against those responsible for allegedly illegally detaining him, misusing his photograph and posting derogatory comments on his behalf. He also expressed concern that such incidents could discourage academics and the public from participating in political debate.

Prof. Kalaiyarasan is an economist and author of The Dravidian Model, published by Cambridge University Press. He has held academic and research positions in India and abroad and writes on the economic development and public policy of Tamil Nadu.

The police clarified that the Instagram account contained his photo along with offensive content targeting the MLA. Suspecting that he might have posted the comment, staff questioned him and examined his mobile phone. Upon investigation, they concluded that he had not published the content. After further verification, the staff returned the phone to him and took him home.

Published – 29 Oct 2026 0:43 IST