'Derogatory' remarks against Amaravati: Journalist who hosted show arrested

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh police on Monday arrested 70-year-old senior journalist Kommineni Srinivas Rao, who works with Sakshi Media, owned by the family of former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The arrest stems from allegedly derogatory comments made about women from the Amaravati region during a panel discussion broadcast on Sakshi TV on June 6. On Monday morning, Thullur police picked him up from his residence in Hyderabad.

An FIR has been registered against Srinivas Rao, panelist and senior journalist VVR Krishnam Raju, and Sakshi Media management. The case has been filed under multiple sections of 79, 196(1), 353(2), 299, 356(2), and 61(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 67 of the Information Technology Act 2008, and provisions of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.

The controversy erupted during the 'KSR Live Show' anchored and moderated by Kommineni Srinivas Rao. During the programme, Krishnam Raju allegedly said "Amaravati is no capital of gods" but rather "Amaravati is capital of prostitutes." These comments were strongly condemned by TDP senior leaders, including Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Following complaints from women of Amaravati, Thullur police registered the case.

According to the FIR registered by Thullur police, complainant Kambhampati Sireesha, who works as a leader of the Amaravati Capital Farmers Dalit JAC, stated that during the "Live with KSR" programme on Sakshi Channel, VVR Krishnam Raju and Kommineni Srinivasa Rao made "obscene and malicious comments that Amaravati is not the capital of gods but of prostitutes and that only AIDS patients live there."

The complaint further alleged that these remarks, made with the encouragement of Sakshi management, have "deeply hurt the self-respect of the women of Amaravati, particularly Dalit women." Sireesha claimed that for the past ten years, Sakshi Patrika and Sakshi Channel have been "intentionally spreading false reports about Amaravati," describing it as "a graveyard, desert, or flood zone" and portraying farmers as "anti-Dalit, thereby inciting caste clashes."

The complainant accused the media outlet of using "debates and false news to create regional divides, harm Amaravati's development, and promote the interests of the YSRCP party." She demanded strict action under the SC/ST Atrocities Act, IT Act, Television Regulation Act, and BNS Act against the participants and Sakshi management for "insulting Dalit women, promoting hatred between castes and regions, and tarnishing the image of Amaravati."

AP Women's Commission Chairperson Rayapati Sailaja condemned the comments, stating that those who insulted the women of Amaravati must be punished.

"No one should defend the derogatory comments made by Sakshi Media against the women of the capital. It is not appropriate to attribute caste and religion to Amaravat. Krishnam Raju and Srinivas Rao discussed the issue mindlessly without having any previous knowledge of the matter. What wrong did the women of Amaravati do? Was it their mistake to donate land for Amaravati?", Sailaja said.

The controversy has sparked protests, with women from the Amaravati area staging demonstrations at Sakshi Media's Andhra headquarters in Auto Nagar, Vijayawada on Monday.

Taking strong objection to Srinivasa Rao's arrest, the YSRCP accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of sending a stern message by making him an example—toe the official line or face consequences. The party claimed the government has nothing to boast about in its one-year term other than being a failed administration.

Speaking to the media on Monday, YSRCP State Coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy called the arrest a blot on democracy. He argued that the anchor had cautioned the analyst about the remarks during the debate, which were based on a media report. He claimed the presenter did not extend the discussion on the point, nor was it highlighted further it passed as a brief moment.