By The Sampadak Express
Two Telangana journalists, Pogadadanda Revathi, the Managing Director of Pulse News, and Thanvi Yadav, a reporter for the channel, were arrested by the Hyderabad Police’s Cyber Crime division on Wednesday. The arrests were made in connection with the posting and amplification of allegedly abusive content targeting Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
In addition to the journalists, a third indi jnnovidual, the user behind the X account ‘NippuKodi’, was also detained. All three face serious charges, including publishing obscene material, organized crime, criminal conspiracy, spreading rumors to incite hatred, and provoking a breach of peace.
The arrests stem from a complaint filed by the head of the Congress’ state social media unit. The complaint specifically concerns a video on the X account where a Pulse News reporter interviews a person who allegedly makes “derogatory” and “abusive” comments about the Chief Minister. It is argued that the post was highly provocative, potentially inciting violence, and part of a deliberate attempt by Pulse News to defame and spread propaganda.
The arrests have drawn sharp criticism from the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which held power before the Congress’ surprise win in 2023. KT Rama Rao, a prominent BRS leader, accused Congress of being “intolerant of criticism” and allowing “extreme levels of intolerance.” He likened the situation to a return of a state of emergency in Telangana.
Rama Rao also claimed that Revathi’s arrest was illegal, alleging that police raided her home at 5 a.m. He criticized Congress for an “Emergency-style rule” and described Yadav’s arrest as “atrocious,” highlighting the diminishing press freedom in the state. “Is this the constitutional rule that Rahul Gandhi is talking about?” he asked in a post on X.
Interestingly, Revathi had been arrested in a similar manner during the tenure of the BRS government.
Separately, Rama Rao targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, sarcastically commenting on his public image of holding a red-bound copy of the Constitution during campaigning.
In response to the arrests, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla condemned the Congress for detaining a senior journalist for exposing the hardships faced by farmers in Telangana, calling it an attack on press freedom.
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