The Andhra Pradesh Police on Tuesday night arrested two Hyderabad-based YouTubers for their alleged comments against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
The arrested YouTubers have been identified as K Venkatrami Reddy alias KV Reddy, who runs the Myra Media YouTube channel, and B Joseph, alias Raavan, who runs the Prashna channel.
Although there is no official confirmation from Andhra Pradesh Police, a Telangana police official said that a team from Bobbili police station in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district took KV Reddy into custody from his residence in Piramalguda in Saroornagar on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Tuesday evening.
“The Bobbili police brought him to Saroornagar police station as part of transit procedures before transferring him to the Andhra Pradesh judicial police station,” the official said.
A video of Andhra Pradesh Police taking Reddy away in pajamas as family members, including women and children, tried to prevent the arrest, went viral on social media.
On Wednesday, Reddy’s wife K Vijaya Lakshmi filed a complaint with the Saroornagar police, alleging that unidentified men claiming to be Andhra Pradesh police personnel illegally entered their house between 7.30pm and 8pm on Tuesday, assaulted the family members and forcibly took away her husband without following mandatory due process.
In her complaint, Vijaya Lakshmi alleged that the men arrived in plain clothes, did not show identity cards or provide details of the case against her husband, abused family members, pushed her aside and snatched her mobile phone when she interrogated them.
“Even if they are Andhra Pradesh Police personnel, they are legally obligated to identify themselves, disclose the reasons for the arrest, inform us of the details of the case and produce the arrested person before the local magistrate,” she said.
Seeking legal action, Vijaya Lakshmi has sought registration of an FIR against Bobbili Circle Inspector Srinivas and other unidentified persons under provisions relating to kidnapping, criminal trespass, criminal intimidation, assault and dereliction of duty by public servants. She also requested police protection for her family.
Reddy had also faced legal action previously, the above-mentioned official said. In April this year, the Badangi police in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh reportedly registered a case against him over comments against Chandrababu Naidu.
The case included charges relating to statements allegedly prejudicial to national integration, public mischief, obscenity, and offenses under the Information Technology Act.
Meanwhile, Joseph alias Ravan, who runs the Prashna YouTube channel, was also arrested from his residence in Hyderabad by the Andhra Pradesh Police.
Before his arrest, Ravan posted a short clip on YouTube on June 30 stating that he had received information that a warrant had been issued against him in connection with a speech he made at a public meeting in Eluru.
The meeting, titled War Cry of Dalit Christians (Dalitha Kristhava Samara Sankharavam), was held on June 28 to demand Scheduled Caste status for Dalit Christians. During his speech, Ravan said the rally was not limited to Dalit Christians, but was aimed at highlighting caste oppression on a broader scale.
In his speech, he criticized the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister for allegedly remaining silent on atrocities committed against Dalits, and also referred to the alleged caste-related incidents involving Undi MLA and Assembly Deputy Speaker K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju.
Ravan also strongly criticized Hindutva Radha preacher Manohar Das for his anti-Christian remarks and accused him of promoting communal tensions. He also targeted Pawan Kalyan, alleging that the Deputy Chief Minister failed to speak out against caste discrimination and atrocities against Dalits.
Following a complaint filed by Pooja Kumar Babu, an FIR was registered against Ravan at Pithapuram police station on June 29. The police detained him under various provisions, including promoting hostility between different groups, intentional insult intended to provoke breach of peace, defamation, organized crime and offenses under the Information Technology Act.
Telangana Rakshana Sena president K Kavitha described the police action as “despicable” and questioned why the Telangana police cooperated in detaining a journalist while remaining silent on controversial statements made by other public figures. Bharat Rashtra Samithi spokesperson Dasoju Sravan also condemned the arrests.
