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The Telangana Police on Wednesday, January 14, arrested two reporters of Telugu television news channel NTV in a case relating to the telecast of an alleged defamatory story about a woman IAS officer. The journalists, Donthu Ramesh and Sudheer, were granted bail on Thursday, January 15.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to probe the case, based on a complaint from senior IAS officer Jayesh Ranjan, who is Secretary of the Telangana IAS Officers’ Association. He stated in his complaint that on January 8, NTV published and telecast a news item regarding a woman IAS officer that was “completely false, fabricated and baseless”.
The complainant said that unsubstantiated allegations were made against a serving woman IAS officer, insinuating an alleged personal relationship with a political executive and attempting to link her official postings to such baseless claims.
Though the media reports did not name the IAS officer, they made references that made it easy to identify her and used sexual innuendo. Telangana Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy had earlier held a press meet denying media reports alleging his involvement with a woman IAS officer.
Telangana police registered cases against NTV, T News and several other news channels, as well as YouTube channels and social media handles under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. The charges include sexual harassment, insulting a woman’s modesty, criminal intimidation, insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, and transmission of obscene material in electronic form.
NTV input editor Donthu Ramesh was detained from the RGI Airport on the night of Tuesday, January 13, as he was about to board a flight to Bangkok. Another NTV journalist, Sudheer, was picked up from his residence in Hyderabad.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar said that Ramesh was detained while allegedly trying to escape to Bangkok, and that Sudheer had switched off his phone after being summoned by the police.
Sajjanar, who is heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case, told media persons that journalists involved in the case should cooperate with the police in the investigation.
Responding to questions over raiding the houses of NTV CEO Rajasekhar and journalist Devi at night, Sajjanar said that the journalists did not appear for questioning after being summoned by the police.
Sajjanar said the police were acting as per the law and all the details would be revealed soon. “Law will take its own course,” he said.
The Commissioner said that while criticism is common in public, there can’t be any justification for telecasting a fake story, making a personal attack on a woman officer.
He said the SIT was investigating two cases. The other case was registered in Narayanpet district for sharing an “obscene and humiliating” image of the Chief Minister in a WhatsApp group.
NTV input editor Donthu Ramesh and reporter Sudheer were taken to King Koti Hospital in the evening for medical examination and produced before a magistrate, who granted them bail.
Meanwhile, the SIT conducted a search at the office of NTV. It reportedly seized computers and hard disks after a two-hour long search. The channel accused the police of high-handed behaviour.
The opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi as well as YSR Congress Party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy have condemned the arrests of journalists amid the Sankranthi festival.
BRS leader and former Minister T Harish Rao took exception to the arrest of journalists without issuing prior notice. Urging the police to follow due legal procedure, the BRS leader asked what the need was to arrest them in the middle of the night and on the festival day.
Harish Rao told the DGP that journalists should not be treated like criminals or terrorists and requested that the journalists be summoned by issuing notices after the Sankranti festival.
"Is it necessary to go to journalists' homes in the middle of the night during the festival and make arrests? How can you make arrests without following procedure, without issuing notices? Why are you treating them so harshly?" he asked in a post on X.
The BRS leader said that the police action would cause mental anguish to the families of journalists.
He termed the arrests of journalists an attack on democracy and a direct assault by the Congress government on the self-respect of Telangana journalists. "Who are you protecting with the arrests of journalists and curbs on media and digital media? Who are you hunting down?" he asked.
BRS working president KTR too condemned the arrests.
Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan termed the arrests an attack on freedom of press and democratic values.
“I strongly condemn the arrests of NTV journalists, which amount to a direct attack on the freedom of the press and democratic values. Forcefully entering journalists’ homes by breaking doors at midnight during this festival and arresting them without following due legal procedure or issuing notices is highly deplorable and reflects an authoritarian mindset,” wrote Jagan.
“Journalists are neither criminals nor terrorists, yet they are being treated with unwarranted harshness. Such actions inflict severe mental trauma on their families and create fear among the media fraternity. I demand the immediate release of the arrested journalists and urge the government to respect the Constitution, uphold the rule of law, and protect the freedom of the press,” he said.
With IANS inputs