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Watch: Arivu’s ‘Hashtag Justice’ questions lockup murders and caste-killings

The new single of ‘Therukkural’ fame Arivu was released on YouTube on Saturday.

The custodial deaths of Jayaraj and Bennix in Tamil Nadu left people shocked and outraged. From demanding justice for the family of the deceased to questioning the status of the ‘Prevention of Torture Bill, 2010’, the issue reignited the discussion around the power that vests with the police over the common man. It is in this backdrop that Tamil rapper Arivu has released a new single ‘Hashtag Justice’.

Produced by Neelam Culture Centre, the song is a little over two minutes and 40 seconds long and was released on Saturday. The song, written and composed by Arivu, takes potshots at the role of police in society and how officials act differently depending on who is at the other end — politicians or the common man.

The song points out the irony in Tamil Nadu police’s motto – the police is your friend- and the action of its personnel, who ask for bribes and resort to violence. The song dryly notes that if anybody dares to question the police, they are locked up and attacked under the garb of ‘interrogation’.

“Lockdown for this corona(virus), will these lockup murders ever get justice? Like the Black Lives Matter campaign, will our country rise up against this (atrocity)?” is a line that Arivu repeats throughout the song.

Arivu, who has been one of the most vocal advocates against caste, has raised the issue in this single as well. “The rulers (oppressors) create problems by dividing people (based on caste) and the police dance to the tunes of their political masters,” goes the song.

Calling for unity, the song notes that if people can understand this divide created by the oppressors in collusion with the police, they will unite on their own. The refrain of “Lockdown for this corona (virus)..” comes back, but this time, it is Arivu seeking justice for institutional murders and caste-based killings.

The song has been released by Pa Ranjith’s Neelam Cultural Centre and Lenix is the music producer for the single. Kumaran Sivamani has mixed the song and the video is by Sathya Thamizharasan. Sangeeth Swaminathan. Akshay Sundher, Ashok and Sudhesa Mithran have also contributed to the making of the song in various capacities. 

Watch the single here:

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Source: The News Minute