NTV Journalists Arrested Over Alleged Defamation

The Telangana Police have arrested three journalists from the Telugu news channel NTV in connection with a controversial program aired by the channel that allegedly involved defamatory content relating to a woman IAS officer and a State minister.

Among those detained was Donthu Ramesh, input editor, who was arrested at the Hyderabad airport on Tuesday.

Reporters Paripurna Chari and Sudheer were also taken into custody.

The arrests followed the Telangana government's decision to act against NTV over the broadcast.

Five days after the program was aired, the government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for the issue headed by Hyderabad City Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar.

The NTV management on Tuesday evening issued an apology after consultations with legal advisers, leading many to believe the matter had been settled. The late-night arrests then came unexpectedly - and triggered strong political backlash.

BRS working president K T Rama Rao said, "I strongly condemn the arrest of three journalists on a festival day. The manner in which the Congress is governing Telangana reminds me of the Emergency days."

He said that there were better ways to handle the issue, such as issuing notices and summoning the journalists for questioning, than conducting late-night arrests. "That is clearly an overreach," he said, and expressed concern over the treatment of the journalists by the police, and called for their immediate release.

"The matter involved only bailable offences and could have been addressed through simple notices. So why resort to intimidation tactics against the journalists and their families? I urge the Telangana DGP to follow the due legal process instead of getting entangled in the Congress party's dirty politics," KTR said, adding that the arrests reflected poorly on the protection of citizens' constitutional rights in Telangana.

BRS MLA and former minister Harish Rao also condemned the arrests, calling them vindictive and undemocratic. He demanded the immediate release of the journalists, and accused the Congress government of targeting the media instead of addressing governance issues.

"This is a blatant attack on democratic principles and the dignity of Telangana's media," Harish Rao said, questioning the necessity of constituting an SIT and conducting overnight police actions. He added that he had spoken to DGP Shivdhar Reddy, seeking clarity on the rushed midnight arrests and asking why notices were not issued.

Drawing parallels with the Emergency era, Rao too alleged that Revanth Reddy was attempting to silence dissent in a manner reminiscent of Indira Gandhi.

The BJP also condemned the arrests, with Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao stating that the detentions reflected an "Emergency mindset".

Even from the Congress itself, TPCC working president Jagga Reddy criticised the timing of the arrests. "The arrests may create problems and provide the opposition an opportunity to exploit the situation politically. I urge the SIT officials to remain calm and address the issue with a clear and balanced approach," he said.

The police have not yet issued any official statement regarding the detentions or the specific charges being pursued.