The Hyderabad police on Saturday arrested a youth for posting obscene material on social media against YSR Congress Party President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy's sister Y S Sharmila.
Central Crime Station (CCS) personnel arrested P Venkatesh in Guntur. A native of Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh, he is a Master of Computer Applications (MCA) student at a private college in Guntur. He was brought to Hyderabad and booked under section 509 of Indian Penal Code (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and section 67 of Information Technology Act (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form).
Sharmila, the daughter of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy met Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar on January 14, urging him to act against those maligning her on the social media. She then lodged a complaint against websites that were posting false information about her on social media.
This came after there was news allegedly linking Sharmila to actor Prabhas. Sharmila had alleged that it was a conspiracy by the vested interests to defame her ahead of the general elections to get political mileage, and had alleged that the Telugu Desam Party was involved. “Without any doubt, I can tell that TDP is behind this campaign. It is not new for the TDP to spread rumours. Earlier, they spread rumours that my father Rajasekhara Reddy was a factionist. Many TDP leaders said that I have an affair with actor Prabhas. If the TDP did not have any involvement, why didn’t they condemn it? Why didn’t Chandrababu Naidu stop them?” she asked reporters earlier.
Condemning the vicious campaign, she had said, “I have never met actor Prabhas in my life. Haven’t spoken to him even once. That person and I have no relation. I swear on my children, this is the truth.”
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP President N. Chandrababu Naidu condemned Sharmila's allegations, and criticised her for lodging a complaint with Telangana police instead of filing a complaint in Andhra Pradesh.