Hyderabad: City police charged Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Gellu Srinivas Yadav with attempted murder on Sunday, June 29, following vandalism at the MAHAA TV news office in Jubilee Hills the previous day.
Srinivas Yadav was arrested by the Jubilee Hills police at 9:30 pm from Telangana Bhavan on Saturday. Along with him, 12 others have been charged under Section 109 Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), while others are absconding, a police officer told Siasat.com.
“Srinivas is the prime accused in the case. He gathered his followers for the attack at the MAHAA TV office,” the officer said, adding. “We will soon produce him before the magistrate.”
A suo motu case is booked against the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council S Madhusudhana Chary and former MLA Balka Suman and other leaders.
Police conducted searches at Srinivas Yadav’s residence in the new MLA quarters amid tight security.
TPCC president condemns MAHAA TV attack
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President and MLC Mahesh Kumar Goud has strongly condemned the attack on the MAHAA TV news office.
Speaking at a round table meeting organised by MAHAA news, Goud described the incident as a “heinous act” and added that any attack on media freedom is a mockery of democracy.
He termed the attack as “brutal”, calling the attackers rowdies. Goud emphasised that creating fear among media organisations is unacceptable in a democratic society.
Calling phone tapping a “barbaric act in the history of the nation,” he described it as a well-orchestrated political conspiracy. “Who gave them the right to violate an individual’s personal freedom?” he questioned.
He further stated that the responsibility for this phone tapping scandal does not lie only with Prabhakar Rao and Radhakrishna but also extends to the former chief minister, cabinet ministers, concerned officials, the DGP, legal principal secretary, and the home secretary.
Attack on MAHAA TV office
On Saturday, MAHAA TV office in Jubilee Hills was vandalised by BRS workers who alleged that the news channel was spreading fake news against its chief and former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), party’s working president and senior leader KT Rama Rao (KTR) and other family members, with regard to the phone tapping case.
Raising slogans of ‘Jai Telangana’, BRS workers tried to enter the office building and also attacked an employee who tried to stop them. They damaged properties, pelted stones at the office and damaged cars parked outside.
MAHAA TV was founded by journalist I Venkat Rao, who is a former editor of the well-known Telugu newspaper Andhra Jyothi.
