Cops book director Ramesh Selvan for film on Swathi murder

Police officers from the cyber crime wing of the Chennai city police have registered a case against director Ramesh Selvan for making a film on the sensational Swathi murder case.

The police has booked the director under Section 35 of the Tamil Nadu (Compulsory Censorship of Film Publicity Materials) Act, 1987.

Police action comes in the wake of a complaint lodged by Swathi’s father Santhana Gopalakrishnan, who had filed a complaint with the DGP against director Ramesh Selvan for making a film based on the murder of his daughter.

Gopalakrishnan had stated, in his complaint, that the movie was being made without consulting him or his family, and had urged the police to stop the film’s release. In his complaint, he also suggested that the film's release would cause mental agony to him and his family members.

An IT professional, Swathi, was murdered in broad daylight at a crowded railway station in Chennai in July 2016. The incident sent shockwaves across the nation on the safety of women.

In the film being made by Ramesh Selvan, actor Ajmal plays a cop investigating the crime. Actress Aayira plays the role of Swathi in the film, while a newcomer called Mano plays the suspect Ramkumar.

The trailer of the film was released last month.