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The Andhra Pradesh police arrested two YouTubers who do political commentary – Hyderabad-based journalist K Venkatrami Reddy of Myra Media and Raavan of Prashna – on the night of June 30, Tuesday, reportedly for their comments against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan.
The Andhra Pradesh police arrested both Raavan and KV Reddy from Hyderabad.
Visuals of police taking KVR into custody from his residence in Saroornagar triggered outrage on social media, as his family members were seen trying to stop the police, and a police officer was seen pulling a woman away as she tried to block them.
Speaking at a public meeting of Dalit Christians in Eluru on June 28, Raavan, also known as B Joseph, had criticised Pawan Kalyan for his alleged silence on incidents of caste discrimination in the region. Raavan is known for making videos critical of Pawan Kalyan and the ruling coalition of TDP, Jana Sena and BJP in Andhra Pradesh. He also makes videos questioning oppression of Dalits and communal politics.
An FIR was registered against Raavan at the Pithapuram police station on June 29, accusing him of making derogatory and provocative remarks about Pawan Kalyan and Hindutva proponent Radha Manohar Das, who often makes deprecating remarks against Christians. The complaint referred to a speech made at a public meeting at Eluru on June 28.
Raavan started his speech by saying the meeting wasn’t just about Dalit Christians but about caste oppression in general.
He criticised CM Naidu, alleging he was silent on atrocities against Dalits, and on the alleged casteist behavior of Undi MLA and Deputy Speaker Raghu Rama Krishna Raju.
He called Radha Manohar Das a “beggar”, alleging that he behaved inappropriately with women who approached him. He criticised him for his remarks against Christians, and said that people were booked for speaking against Hindu deities while people like Radha Manohar Das could get away with making disparaging remarks against Islam and Christianity. Accusing him of stoking communal tensions, he quoted Pawan Kalyan’s statement from a different context and said, “When the government changes, as Pawan Kalyan says, you will be stripped and stamped on till your flesh comes out.”
He went on to criticise Pawan Kalyan, alleging that he had ignored or trivialised incidents of caste discrimination. “Pardon my language… I will hit you with a slipper if you stoke communal tensions, these are Pawan Kalyan’s words, not mine,” he said, and went on to speak about him in a derogatory manner for not speaking against atrocities committed on Dalits.
He said that a government that allegedly allows caste discrimination against school kids will be brought down.
The complaint against Raavan, by a man named Bojja Kumar Babu, alleged that this speech “was intended to promote enmity among different castes, religions, communities and political groups, hurt the sentiments of Jana Sena party workers and supporters, and disturb public peace.”
Raavan was booked for promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace, defamation, organised crime, as well as computer related offences.
KVR was also reportedly booked in April by the Badangi police in Vizianagaram for his comments against CM Naidu, for committing acts endangering sovereignty unity and integrity of India, imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration, obscene acts and songs, making statements conducing to public mischief, as well as for publishing or transmitting of material containing sexually explicit act, etc., in electronic form.
Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS) president Kavitha Kalvakuntla, BRS leader Dasoju Sravan Kumar and others from Telangana condemned the police action against KV Reddy.
Actor Prakash Raj also condemned the arrests, calling it a misuse of power.
