YouTube screeshot from "Kangal Irandal song" in "Subramaniyapuram" (Music composer: James Vasanthan)
YouTube screeshot from "Kangal Irandal song" in "Subramaniyapuram".Screenshot from YouTube

Music composer James Vasanthan was arrested on Sunday (4 August) for verbally abusing his neighbour.

Radha Venuprasad, a resident of Palavakkam, lodged a police complaint stating that James harassed her and made obscene gestures at her. Based on the complaint, Neelankarai police arrested the music composer on Sunday evening.

Sixty three-year-old Radha and her husband Venuprasad, an advisor of the UK-based Warwick University in India, reside at VGP Golden Seaview in Palavakkam. The problem started when James and his wife Hema began work on the construction of their house on an adjacent plot.

Radha, an asthmatic patient, fell sick from the dust that spread due to the construction work. She and her husband asked James to cover the building to avoid dust from spreading in the area. As the music composer failed to do so, Radha sent a legal notice to him. Following this, the Kancheepuram collector and Palavakkam panchayat asked James to take measures to suppress the dust. Subsequently, the music director covered the site with a few plastic sheets, according to The Times of India.

On Sunday morning, the music director allegedly had an argument with Radha. He was said to have verbally abused the woman and made obscene gestures at her. This prompted Radha to file a complaint against him.

The Neelankarai police booked James under IPC Sections 294 (b) (obscene language), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and Section 4 of Tamil Nadu Prevention of Women Harassment Act. He was produced in an Alandur court and was remanded to judicial custody.

The police said the music composer and his neighbour have a property dispute and the case is still pending in court for the last three years. 

From his side, James said the case filed by Radha is fabricated and alleged that she had filed a false police complaint.

The television personality-turned music composer became popular with the song "Kangal Irandal" in the Tamil film "Subramaniyapuram". He has also scored music for films "Pasanga", "Naanayam" and "Eesan".