Andhra Pradesh Police have arrested journalist and political analyst VV Krishnam Raju for allegedly making derogatory remarks about women from the Amaravati region during a debate on Telugu news channel Sakshi TV, owned by the family of former chief minister and YSR Congress Party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
On June 6, Krishnamraju appeared on a debate show hosted by Kommineni Srinivasa Rao (KSR), and referred to the state capital Amaravati as the ‘capital of sex workers’.
He made the remark while referring to the findings of a recently released study of programmatic mapping and population size estimation (PMPSE) conducted by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), which found that Andhra Pradesh had the second highest concentration of female sex workers in India.
The remark triggered outrage, with the ruling TDP and Jana Sena leaders calling it an insult to the women and culture of Amaravati.
Krishnam Raju, who was allegedly evading arrest, was taken into custody by police on the night of Wednesday, June 11, near the Gosthani river in Bheemili in Visakhapatnam district. Two others who were present with him were also arrested. They were being brought to Vijayawada.
Police have already arrested senior journalist and Sakshi TV anchor Kommineni Srinivas, who had moderated the debate. A case was registered against the two journalists and the management of Sakshi TV on June 9. YSRCP and Sakshi TV, however, have distanced themselves from Krishnamraju’s remarks.
The case was registered at the Thullur Police Station in Guntur district under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Information Technology Act, and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The FIR includes offences under sections 79, 196(1), 353(2), 299, 356(2), 61(1)BNS, 67 ITA-2008, 3(1)(U), SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
A police team had arrested Kommineni Srinivasa Rao from his residence in Hyderabad on June 9 and brought him to Guntur.
A court on Jun 10 sent him to judicial custody for 14 days. He was subsequently shifted to the Guntur district jail.
A huge controversy erupted over the comments made by Krishnamraju during the show.
On a complaint by State Madiga Corporation director Khambampati Sirisha, the police booked Srinivasa Rao, Krishnam Raju and the management of Sakshi TV.
Women farmers and representatives of various Amaravati Joint Action Committees (JACs) also lodged police complaints.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan condemned the remarks and warned that those involved will not be spared.
Andhra Pradesh Women’s Commission Chairperson Rayapati Sailaja demanded an unconditional apology to the entire state by the management of Sakshi TV. She alleged that the Commission has taken the issue very seriously, as Sakshi TV and its management targeted women and insulted them. YS Jagan’s wife YS Bharathi is the chairperson of Sakshi Media Group.
YSR Congress Party, however, condemned what it called the baseless allegations and malicious campaign orchestrated by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), its social media operatives, and affiliated ‘yellow media’ against YSRCP and its leadership.
YSRCP leader Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy stated that the anchor, while moderating a debate on a TV channel, had cautioned the analyst about passing the remarks, which were based on a media report. The presenter did not extend the discussion on the point, nor was it highlighted further.
Sajjala, a former advisor to the state government, accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of a sinister design to blow it up into a major issue.