The students’ wing of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Telangana’s opposition party, allegedly attacked a local television channel’s office in Hyderabad on Saturday afternoon for airing news that linked BRS chief and former CM K Chandrashekar Rao and BRS working president K T Rama Rao to a phone tapping case.
The case in question is being investigated by the Telangana police. It is alleged that the BRS government, which was in power in Telangana for 10 years starting 2014, had tapped the phones of opposition leaders of both the Congress and the BJP.
Currently, the Congress government is in power in the state. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Mahesh Kumar Goud has deposed before the Hyderabad police that the previous regime tapped his phone.
In the attack on the office of Mahaa News, two employees were injured, police said, and the glass façade of the building was brought down. Three vehicles parked in front of the building were also damaged. “There was an unprovoked attack on the TV office for airing political content. We are in the process of registering a case,” a Hyderabad police officer told The Indian Express.
About 25-30 people were involved in the attack. “As per preliminary investigation, we have found that the vandals attacked even inside the office, damaging property,” a senior police officer said.
Both the ruling Congress and the BJP condemned the attack and spoke in favour of press freedom in the state. Telangana BJP leader and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar posted on X, “Strongly condemn the attack on Mahaa News by BRS goons, led by KCR’s son… This is not just an attack on a building but an attack on the freedom of press. BRS always preaches about journalism. Is this how you show it? By sending people to damage a media office…”
A TPCC statement read, “The attack on Mahaa News was arbitrary and unwarranted. The Congress government will take strict action against those who are behind the attack”.
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K T Rama Rao posted on X that the BRS “does not support vandalism”, but added that those who “air fake news in the garb of journalism should not be encouraged”.
Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad. With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice.
Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics. Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states. Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India.
Expertise & Focus Areas
Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy. Her core focus areas include:
Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India.
Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism.
Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities.
National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting.
Authoritativeness & Trust
A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula. Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced, historically-informed perspective on contemporary Indian society.
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