Speaking to SBS Tamil, undeterred by the arrest and a few days behind bars, Bala said, "A critic of any kind will be critical about anyone in authority. Cartoonists, especially, are critical about people in power, government, and authority. If someone has a soft heart, they should not become a cartoonist."
A labourer (Isaki Muthu, 32), doused himself and his family in kerosene and set them on fire in the campus of the collector's office[fn]A collector is an Indian Administrative Service officer in charge of revenue collection and administration of a district in India.[/fn] in Tirunelveli, 630 km from state capital Chennai*. His wife and two daughters died within hours; Isaki Muthu a few days later due to burn injuries. Their family had alleged that Isaki Muthu had hoped to start a small business. He had approached the authorities against the loan shark who had lent him money at a very high interest rate. Since the authorities took no action, he killed himself and his family in disappointment.
A day after the incident, Cartoonist Bala published a cartoon on his Facebook page. His cartoon blamed top government officials including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami of not acting against loan sharks. Bala was charged with publishing defamatory and obscene material under the penal code and information technology act, crimes punishable with five years in jail.
When asked by SBS Tamil why a State Government that has rarely censured journalists made the arrest, cartoonist Bala says, "My arrest is just to send a message to the general public - not to criticise the government."
True or not, Chief Minister Palaniswami responded to the suicide with appeals to people to come forward with complaints against loan sharks. Usury, the practice of lending money at high interest rates, has been illegal in Tamil Nadu, India. However, it is not enforced widely. The loan shark who was alleged to have lent Indian Rupees 140,000 (roughly A$2,800) to Isaki Muthu was arrested only after the family's suicide.
The cartoon, that got Bala arrested, depicted naked government officials and the Chief Minister trying to cover themselves up with wads of cash, as they close their eyes to a child's burning body. The police described it as "obscene." The Tirunelveli district police chief said, "this highly demeaning cartoon shows the government officers in poor light and also casts aspersions about their integrity... and the Chief Minister in a highly derogatory and belittling way." When SBS Tamil asked cartoonist Bala whether this could not have been portrayed without making it appear vulgar, Bala said, "You can't draw this in any other way. It is not vulgar. It is an expression of anger."
The Chennai Press Club displayed two large banners of cartoonist Bala’s controversial work in protest against his arrest. Members also staged a demonstration in the premises of the club. The Press Club joint secretary highlighted how wrong it was of the government to use “the collector’s power to ask the police to file cases..., that too under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act. The government could have filed a defamation case if they wanted to,” the joint secretary said. “The picture is not meant to sexually arouse anyone. He had depicted a problem.”
That sentiment echoed across the country. Many took to social media (#standwithCartoonistBala) and the print media to express their opposition to cartoonist Bala's arrest .
Cartoonist Bala has been granted bail by the Tirunelveli district court. Upon his release, he asserted he will not stop doing what he does. “I did not commit a murder, so I have no regrets. I will continue to highlight the inefficiency of the government through my cartoon. I will continue; I won’t stop.”
