Raavan arrests and policing dissent in Andhra Pradesh | South Central 83

South Central explores the Raavan case, Vizhinjam politics, and the Wayanad tragedy.

Published on:

10 Jul 2026, 1:18 pm

Are states like Andhra Pradesh using criminal law to punish criticism? This week, South Central dives into the repeated targeting of YouTuber Raavan, who has been arrested five times over speeches critical of the Andhra Pradesh government, including one containing a controversial remark about Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan.

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Hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna are joined by senior journalist and founder of Mahua Media C Vanaja, and Prof Murali Karnam of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad.

Vanaja argues that if people were arrested and booked under stringent laws, including anti-terror provisions such as the UAPA, merely for their speeches, countless others across the country would also have to face similar action.

Prof Murali Karnam says the focus has shifted away from the substantive issues Raavan raised, particularly his criticism of the Andhra Pradesh government’s approach towards Dalit issues. He argues that the police and the government are misusing criminal law to police speech and suppress dissent.

“Our question is not whether Pawan Kalyan believes in a religion, but whether he believes in the Constitution,” Murali says.

Vanaja also questioned why many people insist on referring to Raavan by his former name, Joseph. “He renounced Christianity, legally changed his name, and registered it. So why should we call him Joseph?” she asked. She added that Raavan was once a supporter of Pawan Kalyan and suggested that his criticism may stem from disappointment with the Deputy Chief Minister’s politics in recent years.

In the second half of the episode, journalists Jisha Surya and Indulekha Aravind join the panel to discuss two major developments in Kerala.

The first is the political confrontation between the UDF and the LDF over the Adani Group’s decision to sell their stake in Vizhinjam Port to a Switzerland-based company, and the political questions it has triggered.

The panel also discusses the recent landslide in Wayanad, asking why weather forecasting and early warning systems continue to fall short despite years of recurring disasters and repeated lessons from past calamities.

Tune in to the episode here.

Audio timecodes:

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:02:32 - Headlines

00:10:42 - The arrest of YouTuber Raavan

00:42:24 - Wayanad Landslide and Vizhinjam Port controversy

1:08:08 - Recommendations

References

How the Union government helped Isha Foundation win a case against the Tamil Nadu Pollution Board

The Congress SIR strategy in Karnataka | Powertrip #155

Why YouTuber Raavan was arrested five times by Andhra police

YouTuber Raavan’s name meant to insult Hindu sentiments: AP police in remand report