Hyderabad: The Bowenpally police registered an FIR against a journalist who works at Andhra Jyothi, a Telugu-based news organisation in Hyderabad.
The FIR was registered on February 18, after a complaint filed by Ankala Sai Sarath who alleged that the journalist Thotta Sudheer, published a ‘manipulated’ newspaper article against Bharatiya Janata Party Secunderabad Cantt MLA Sriganesh N, during the inauguration of the underground drainage programme that took place in Temple Rock Enclave the previous day.
According to the complaint, the article’s headline stated – Ramakrishna Sahakaram Thone MLA Ayya: Sriganesh – which the complainant alleged the BJP MLA had not said anything related to it and was completely “misleading, baseless and fabricated.”
The FIR further states that journalist Sudheer “intentionally wrote the article with the sole purpose of damaging the BJP MLA’s reputation.”
A case has been registered against journalist Sudheer under Sections 353(1)(c) of the BNS and 3(1)(r) of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, 2015.
Journalist attacks in Hyderabad, Telangana
In the past, there have been attacks or cases booked against several journalists belonging to news organisations by the Hyderabad police.
This year, veteran actor Mohan Babu reportedly grabbed a journalist’s mic while being questioned about a property dispute with his son, Manchu Manoj. The journalist, M Satyanarayana, a reporter for Telangana news channel TV9, sustained severe injuries during the attack, requiring surgery.
On August 22, two women journalists covering the implementation of the farmer’s loan waiver were allegedly manhandled by Congress workers in Kondareddypalle of Mahbubnagar district. The incident occurred as they documented the struggles of local farmers awaiting relief under the loan waiver scheme.
The Congress workers allegedly confronted the journalists, Sarita Avulu and Vijaya Reddy, damaging their cameras, seizing their phones, and pushing them into the mud.
Following the attack, a fraternity of women journalists based out of Hyderabad released a joint statement demanding assurance of their safety at work.
In the statement, 57 female journalists jointly condemned the violence that took place against their colleagues Akula Sarita Reddy and M Vijaya Reddy and requested police protection.
Hyderabad women journos demand safety from attacks, bullying
Similarly, on August 29, a female journalist and cameraman from the RTV news channel were harassed at Durgam Cheruvu on August 29, while reporting on houses built within the Full Tank Level (FTL) of the lake in Madhapur. The attackers were reportedly followers of the chief minister’s brother, Anumula Tirupati Reddy.
On July 10 last year, another journalist who was covering the DSC candidates’ protest at Osmania University was manhandled by the Hyderabad police while he was on the campus.
The journalist, working with Zee Telugu, was filming the protest when two sub-inspectors of the Osmania University police station caught hold of him and dragged him to a police vehicle. Visuals of the incident show the police bundling him in their vehicle before shifting him to the police station.
