Women journalists held for 'provocative' social media post against Telangana CM Revanth Reddy

Hyderabad: The Managing Director of an online news channel and its reporter were on Wednesday arrested for allegedly posting objectionable content against the ruling Congress government in Telangana and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, police said.

Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police apprehended P Revathi and B Sandhya in connection with a case registered against them under relevant sections of IT Act and BNS for allegedly being involved in social media trolling against the Telangana government and the CM, they said.

BRS working president K T Rama Rao attacked the Congress government over the arrests.

Rao in a post on 'X' said, "Kya Yahi Hain Aap Ki “Mohabbat Ki Dukaan”? @RahulGandhi Ji? Arresting two women journalists in the wee hours of the morning!! What is their crime? Giving voice to the public opinion on incompetent & corrupt Congress Govt Last I checked the Constitution of India that you hold regularly, upholds Freedom of Speech Mr. Gandhi."

According to a release from Hyderabad Police, the complainant, serving as the State Secretary of the Congress social media Cell in Hyderabad, came across an "abusive" video while browsing internet on March 10.

The video, circulated on a micro-blogging site, featured a representative of the online news channel interviewing an unidentified person in a "provocative" manner, it said.

During the interview, the unidentified person made "derogatory and abusive" remarks against the Telangana chief minister, clearly indicating a deliberate attempt by the channel to defame and spread false propaganda, police said.

Furthermore, the user of the micro-blogging site, was actively circulating and amplifying the video, making it viral, the complainant said.

Such posts are highly provocative, and their content has the potential to incite divisions within society, which are likely to lead to disturbances in law and order in both Hyderabad city and the state, the complainant said and sought legal action against the offenders.

A case was registered and during the course of the investigation, police arrested Revathi, Managing Director of the online news channel and Sandhya, reporter in the news channel.

Revathi, also a journalist, in a post on 'X' on Tuesday said, "DON’T SHARE THIS VIDEO PLEASE!!! CASES WILL BE FILED Here is a video of my team @pulsenewsbreak speaking to an old man. He expresses his frustration about various issues, in his own language. NOW! The Telangana Congress is busy filing cases and Telangana police are very religiously filing FIRs on people who are sharing this video! REALLY?!"

Police further said two cases were earlier booked against Revathi. In the first case she was accused of verbally abusing a dalit person on a live show, for which she was arrested and released on bail. In the second case she "intentionally" made false allegations against Telangana State Power Distribution Company Limited and posted her statements in her social media handles, police said.

Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police urged citizens to exercise caution while posting and dealing with content on the social media platforms. The circulation of defamatory, abusive, or provocative material against individuals particularly targeting public figures and government officials, is a punishable offence under the law, police added.