YouTuber Savukku Shankar Arrested in Chennai - What Caused the Tense Standoff?

YouTuber “Savukku” Shankar was arrested at his Chennai residence on Saturday in connection with an alleged assault and extortion case filed by a film producer, reports PTI.Shankar refused to open the door when an investigating officer arrived at his home in the morning. Police said he insisted they speak to his lawyers before entering. In a video that later went viral, officers were heard telling him they were ready to provide the arrest details and show the warrant if his advocates sought them properly. The officers said they should not be prevented from carrying out their duties.Five others associated with Shankar’s media team were also arrested.Hours earlier, Shankar had released a video claiming he was being targeted in a “false” case. He

said the police had issued summons in late October and that he had responded, denying allegations that he demanded money from the producer to remove a supposedly defamatory video.Shankar said the police alleged he and his team assaulted the producer, stole Rs 2 lakh from him and demanded more money to delete the video. “This is all fabricated and such incidents never happened,” he said, adding that the case was being pushed at the behest of a senior police official.Another video circulating online showed police breaking open the front door with help from fire and rescue personnel. Shankar was seen seated on a sofa as officers entered. While being taken to a police vehicle, he accused authorities of “ransacking” his house and seizing his modem and mobile phone to identify his information sources.“The state government is behind my arrest. It does not want Savukku Media to function during the upcoming Assembly election,” he told reporters.The arrest drew political reactions. Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram wrote on X that while he does not endorse Shankar, the "repeated recurring arrests" amounted to harassment. BJP chief spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathi accused the DMK government of unleashing "repression and anarchy," calling the action condemnable.