Chennai: Ruling AIADMK on Tuesday justified the crackdown against rumor mongers and said there was nothing wrong in arresting people engaged in spreading false news and wrong information about chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s health.

Especially when the doctors were giving out clear cut medical bulletins there was no need for spreading false news about chief minister, said AIADMK spokesperson CR Saraswathi, who declared that Amma was getting better and better with each passing day. She needs rest for recuperation and the doctors are giving the best treatment and advise.

If the DMK people are engaged in rumor mongering, with an ulterior motive of spreading chaos in the society, the police is doing the right thing by taking strict action against them, she said.

Another AIADMK senior leader and former finance minister C Ponnaian said Jayalalithaa was improving and has begun talking to people and doctors.

“She is definitely getting better and would be out of the hospital soon,” the senior AIADMK leader said and he too said it was definitely not on for the DMK people to spread rumors.

“There is nothing wrong in arresting people spreading wrong information,” the senior AIADMK leader justified the police action.

This of course has been condemned by DMK leader MK Stalin and also by human rights activists.

Said Sudha Ramalingam, senior advocate and human rights activist, “speculating about the CM’s health when nothing much was officially being told is not a crime. It is shocking that the government is treating people who shared posts and made remarks, even orally, like criminals, arresting them and throwing them inside jails.”

This is not acceptable in a democratic society, she said adding, the health of the chief minister is a matter of public interest and people should not be kept in the dark about it.

Tamil Nadu police has arrested eight persons, including two bank employees from Coimbatore, for spreading rumors about the health of chief minister J Jayalalithaa, admitted to Apollo Hospital since September 22 night.