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A contract employee working at the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) storage facility inside Anna University, Chennai, was arrested after he allegedly watched a leaked Tamil film during duty hours and shared an image from it on social media.
The accused has been identified as T Yuvaraj (31). He was employed as a CCTV surveillance operator through a private firm based in Taramani. He holds a diploma in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and originally hails from Panangudi in Thiruvarur district.
According to reports, EVMs from five Assembly constituencies – Saidapet, Virugambakkam, Velachery, T Nagar, and Mylapore – were brought to the Anna University counting centre on the night of April 23 and placed under tight security. CCTV surveillance at the facility had been operational since April 16 as part of election security arrangements.
During his night shift on April 23, Yuvaraj allegedly downloaded the recently leaked film Jana Nayagan, starring Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader and actor Vijay, on his personal laptop. He then reportedly photographed the screen and posted the image on his Facebook account around 11 pm. The act of accessing and sharing pirated content quickly came to the attention of authorities.
Investigators also found that Yuvaraj had earlier uploaded a photograph of his temporary identity card, issued by the Election Commission, on social media. Officials said this raised additional concerns regarding protocol adherence and security at the counting facility.
Following a complaint by an Information Technology official of the Greater Chennai Corporation, city police registered a case and took Yuvaraj in for inquiry.
The article was written by a student interning with TNM.