HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police on Wednesday arrested two journalists, Pogadadanda Revathi and Bandi Sandhya alias Thanvi Yadav, for allegedly trolling Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on social media.
The duo, associated with the YouTube channel Pulse News, were accused of provoking people into making objectionable comments against the chief minister and the Congress-led government.
Additional Commissioner of Police P Viswaprasad, speaking to media persons, revealed that the police had evidence linking the journalists to funding from the BRS, the main opposition party.
The controversial video, posted on the social media platform X, was reportedly filmed at the BRS party office in Banjara Hills.
Viswaprasad said that the accused had conspired with the BRS to create and circulate abusive content targeting the chief minister and the government.
Police are investigating the financial ties between the journalists and the political party. The complaint was filed by Kailasham, state secretary of the Congress Social Media Cell, who discovered the video on the X profile @NippuKodi.
The video featured an interview with an unidentified individual making derogatory remarks against the CM, allegedly orchestrated by Pulse News to spread false propaganda.
The accused were sent to a 14- days judicial remand, with charges filed under the IT Act and other relevant sections.
Before her arrest, Revathi released a video claiming that the police were at her house and expressed her belief that the government was attempting to silence her.
BRS working president KT Rama Rao condemned the arrests, calling them an “Emergency-style” move by the Congress government and questioned the justification for detaining journalists in the early hours.