Kamal Haasan is likely to land in a legal soup because of his tweet where he is asking his fans to refrain from distributing nilavembu kudineer, a medicine meant to cure and prevent dengue. In the tweet dated October 18, the South Indian superstar urged his fans to not distribute the medicine as it has side-effects. A petition has been filed by G Devarajan in the Madras High Court stating that the actor wished to disrupt peace in the state through his tweets.
Since January 2017, around 35 people have lost their lives due to dengue and over 10,000 cases have been reported in the state. In a bid to curb this epidemic, the state government is distributing nilavembu kudineer in hospitals.
Here is what Kamal tweeted,
ஆராய்ச்சி அலோபதியார்தான் செய்யவேண்டுமென்றில்லை பாரம்பரியக காவலர்களே செய்திருக்கவேண்டும். மருந்துக்கு பக்கவிளைவுண்டு என்பதும் பாரம்பரியம்தான்
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) October 18, 2017
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Devarajan told a leading daily,
It is not clear on what basis he has declared that the medicine has side effects. If the actor had consumed nilavembu kudineer and suffered any such adverse side effects, he should have furnished proper details of such effects while making such statement.
Reportedly, Devarajan also demanded the state government and Arignar Anna Government Hospital for Indian Medicine to bring out the truth about effects of the medicine. He even demanded the police to file a cybercrime case against Kamal for such misleading tweets. On Wednesday, the court directed police to register a case against the actor.
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Haasan’s political dreams have been cited as one of the reasons behind his tweet by the petitioner. The actor, reportedly, did not have any scientific claim to back his tweet.
The Ministry of AYUSH claimed that this concoction not only cures the disease but also prevents it. Here’s a tweet:
Protect Yourself From Chikungunya Through Siddha Treatment. pic.twitter.com/zr7a3oSGdj
— Ministry of AYUSH (@moayush) September 1, 2017
Nilavembu kudineer has been at the centre of a controversy for long. The government came under flak for endorsing such medicines without a thorough check on its effects. Promoting blind faith during the time of an epidemic is not the wisest thing to do, some argued. Ajit M. Sharan, the former secretary of the AYUSH ministry, had once revealed how the ministry approved medicines and the picture he painted did not look good. He said:
As of now the standards for licensing proprietary AYUSH drugs are pretty lax. When you go in for a new drug, best is to look at the ingredients, the reputation of the manufacturer and take the indications with a pinch of salt, and you will be fine.
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Sharan added that it is always best to continue with the dose of medicines advised by doctors before leaving it completely for herbal medication.
Neither Kamal nor the AYUSH Ministry has reasons to oppose or propose the medicine, but it looks like the actor’s tweet might cost him a lot.
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