Hyd CP defends arrest of mediaperson for defamatory content on woman IAS officer

BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Wednesday slammed the Telangana government, accusing the police of abducting three media persons of a vernacular Telugu channel in connection with a case on a news story about a woman IAS officer and a state minister. However, Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar, who heads the SIT formed to probe the case, said the accused were trying to flee.

Rao took to social media and addressed his post to the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. He alleged, “I hope you are taking note of how the Telangana branch of your ‘Mohabbat ki Dukan’ is trampling upon the constitutional rights of citizens. Last night, three journalists were abducted by state police. In one instance, police broke down the doors of a journalist’s home. This was a case with only bailable sections, where the police could have simply issued a BNSS Section 35 notice.”

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Hyderabad Police Commissioner Sajjanar, however, defended the arrest. He said the accused media persons had booked a ticket to Bangkok and were trying to flee. The police commissioner said they were told to appear before the police, and they had promised to come but then switched off their mobiles. He even wondered why they were running off if they had not committed any wrong.

He later posted on social media, condemning the news story, stating, “Criticism and scrutiny are part of public life. But maligning any woman, be she a public servant, a professional in the private sector, or a homemaker—through words, TV stories, or social media—is not criticism; it is cruelty. It is unacceptable, and it must be condemned without hesitation by everyone.” He added, “The recent deliberate targeting of women officers through character attacks is deeply troubling—it is personal, damaging, and utterly unacceptable.”