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Andhra Pradesh’s Kuppam police have detained YSRCP state general secretary (media) Pudi Srihari over a post on the party’s official Facebook page, which accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of being involved in “political killings.”
An FIR was registered by the police on April 13 following a complaint by a person identified as Vinod Kumar Murthy. According to the complainant, the social media post contained “abusive language, dehumanising comparisons, and violent imagery intended to incite hatred, provoke public unrest, and disturb law and order.”
The post in question featured an edited image of Naidu wielding a sword with blood splattered on his clothes. It read: “The man who kills, and the man who blames, both are Babu.”
The poster insinuated that Chandrababu was behind the mysterious deaths of his rivals like Mallela Babji, Vangaveeti Ranga, Pingali Dasharath Ram, and YS Raja Reddy. It also included the hashtag #HitlerChandrababu.
According to the YSRCP, Srihari was arrested without intimating his family by policemen in plain clothes from Tadepalli and was taken to Kuppam. YSRCP leaders condemned the arrest, calling it “illegal.”
Accusing the police of flouting the norms, YSRCP leader Kurasaala Kannababu demanded a clarification from the DGP asking whether they were an extension of the TDP.
Srihari has been booked under Sections 196(1)(a) (promoting enmity), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 353(2) (statements conducing to public mischief), 336 (1) (forgery), 340(2) (forged document), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), and 111 (organised crime) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 67 (transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act. According to the YSRCP, police have also seized Srihari's laptop and phone.
YSRCP National Spokesperson Margani Bharat condemned the arrest, stating that it reflects the growing intolerance of the TDP government towards dissent and criticism.
Former Minister Perni Nani dubbed the police action as extreme and unlawful.
He said that his colleague was treated like a criminal without any justification.
Nani slammed the government for allegedly using police machinery to target political opponents. The party has demanded Srihari’s immediate release.