Erode: An emu farm owner has been
arrested for reportedly misusing former President A P J Abdul
Kalam`s name and photograph to promote an NGO run by him.
Police, acting on a complaint from R K Prasad, Personal
Secretary to the former President, went to the farm owner`s
house at nearby Perundurai yesterday and arrested him.
Cases have been registered against him under various
sections of the IPC, including those relating to cheating and
creating fake documents, police said.
The farm owner was later produced before a Judicial
Magistrate, who remanded him to 15 days judicial custody.
Police said the man met the former President in Delhi some
days back and got a photograph clicked with him. He had later
informed the media that Kalam on August 14 inaugurated a Trust
run by the farm, working on water conservation systems.
However the Erode District Collector and Superintendent of
Police received a written complaint from Prasad denying that
Kalam had inaugurated such a facility.
Meanwhile, the farm owner`s counsel B B Mohan said his
client had already apologised to Kalam, expressing regret and
claimed that the photograph and report had been published in
papers without his client`s knowledge.
PTI
