For video critical of Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, 2 women journalists arrested in early morning police action

The duo, who police say were involved in “social media trolling” and implicated in two previous cases, have been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.

The complainant, a state secretary of the Congress Social Media Cell, had alleged that a video was being circulated on X, where a representative from Pulse News could be seen interviewing an individual, provoking derogatory and abusive statements against Reddy.

He alleged this indicated a deliberate attempt by the channel to defame and spread false propaganda, adding that such posts could incite divisions within society and disturb law and order.

P Viswaprasad, the Additional Commissioner of Police (Crimes and SIT), said, “The alleged video was shot at BRS headquarters in Banjara Hills in February and released on March 10, just ahead of the Budget session, as per an orchestrated plan to insult, defame, and abuse the CM. The content of the video is vulgar, derogatory, insulting, and abusive, crossing all levels of decency. The accused have been doing this repeatedly and posting on social media for fame and views. We have evidence that they have received monetary incentives from the BRS party. We will investigate every aspect.”

The officer said the person who was interviewed and hurled abuses at the chief minister would be identified and booked too. “The YouTube channel has been operational for the last two months, and as part of a plan, the reporter has been provoking people to hurl abuses at the CM,” he said.

Asked if the FIR was meant as a warning to anyone who criticises the chief minister, Viswaprasad told The Indian Express that “anyone who crosses all levels of decency is liable to face the law”. “The YouTube channel works hand in glove with the BRS,” he said.

The officer added that freedom of speech should be respected just as a person’s reputation and privacy should be. “It should conform to the standards of society,” he said.

Jakkula Laxman, a lawyer who represented the two journalists, told the Indian Express, “The two women were arrested for doing their job. They interviewed a common man who was angry with the government and put it on their channel. They were well within their right to do so.”

The lawyer alleged that the police “misbehaved” with the two women, and said that the judge had “taken note of the police excesses”.

The police seized two laptops, two hard disks, seven CPUs, and other items from the Pulse News office in Madhapur.

Before her arrest in the morning, Revathi shared a video in which she said, “Cops at my doorstep! They want to arrest me. They may pick me up and take me. One thing is clear: Revanth Reddy wants to put pressure on me and my family and threaten me.” The duo were picked up around 5 am.

On Tuesday afternoon, Revathi shared the video and a part of the FIR on her handle on X, stating, “DON’T SHARE THIS VIDEO PLEASE!!! CASES WILL BE FILED. Here is a video of my team speaking to an old man. He expresses his frustration about various issues in his own language. The Telangana Congress is busy filing cases, and Telangana police are very religiously filing FIRs on people sharing this video.”

Tagging Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Revathi wrote, “Is this the democracy you talk about? Is this part of the Constitution? Please teach your government Article 19 first! And I hope your government lets the media that doesn’t fall at their feet stay free. Also, how is sharing an opinion a crime? And if you can’t handle a one-minute opinion of a 60-70-year-old man, I pity you… When the CM of Telangana speaks about CHINA + 1, most of us assumed the wrong thing! He meant this! Control media, stifle voices!”

The FIR has been filed under the Information Technology Act section 67 (transmitting obscene material) and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 111, 61(2), 353(2), and 352. The BNS sections deal with publishing or circulating any statement or report containing false information, rumour, or alarming news, and also with intentionally insulting someone to provoke a breach of peace.

The arrests prompted a sharp reaction from the opposition, including BRS leaders K T Rama Rao, T Harish Rao, and Kalvakuntla Kavitha.

“Kya yahi hain aap ki ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukaan’ Rahul Gandhi Ji? Arresting two women journalists in the wee hours of the morning! What is their crime? Giving voice to public opinion on the incompetent and corrupt Congress government? Last I checked, the Constitution of India that you hold regularly upholds freedom of speech, Mr Gandhi,” KTR wrote after sharing a video of Revathi talking about the police at her doorstep.

Harish Rao posted, “Is this democracy or dictatorship? Revanth Reddy government responds to questions with arrests. The illegal arrest of a senior journalist at 5 am today exposes how insecure and cowardly this government has become.”

The Congress defended the police, saying the officers have gathered “enough evidence against the two YouTubers”. “Revathi and her team have links with the BRS and have been, since the past two months, propagating the social media content of the BRS party. In this social media content, the police have gathered evidence that there are derogatory comments and untruths which are being spread to hoodwink the common people. They have also been spreading defamatory content. The two were arrested for violating several sections of the IT ACT and BNS,” general secretary of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee Manavata Rai told The Indian Express.