These YouTube creators also discuss politics while broadcasting news on their platform. Many of them claimed to be journalists. However, the police questioned their credibility and said that they do not have any permission from the Information and Public Relations Department to broadcast the news.
Journalists performing (Photo: Reuters)
New Delhi: The Telangana Police has reportedly detained 40 journalists and YouTubers (YouTube content creators) for criticizing the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
These YouTube creators broadcast news on their platform and also discuss politics together.
According to the report of The News Minute, many of these creators have claimed to be journalists. Questioning their credibility, the police said that they do not have any permission from the Information and Public Relations Department to broadcast the news.
although, the wire Police have not yet confirmed whether they have been taken into custody.
There have been many such instances in Telangana where the ruling government has cracked down on journalists making critical comments about the government and opinion makers on social media platforms.
Regarding this latest action, the content creators say that they have been wrongly detained by the police without any notice after about 12 hours of interrogation.
Some allege that the police also confiscated their phones and formatted them.
Musham Srinivas, a reporter for Telugu digital news channel Tollivelugu, said, ‘Why are you speaking against the government? Why are you so much against the Chief Minister? These were the questions that the police were constantly asking.
Srinivas believes that his coverage of the recent Huzurabad election was an embarrassment for the ruling TRS, after which the government used the state machinery to intimidate him and others.
In fact, BJP’s Itala Rajendra, who was once a close ally of KCR, won the Huzurabad election.
Srinivas told, ‘Four to five policemen of the Special Operations team came to my room in plain clothes from Pet Basirabad in Madhunar, Hyderabad. They took me with them around 11.30 am without informing me. I was detained for almost 12 hours without any valid reason. After confiscating my phone, they formatted it, which is completely against the law.
Describing the incident as horrifying, Srinivas said that when he was kept in custody, no member of his family knew where I was. No one could differentiate whether the people who came to my house were policemen or goons.
He said that no case has been registered against him. He was allowed to leave around midnight after being warned not to speak anything against the TRS government.
In another instance, the Balanagar police registered a case against Dasari Srinivas, who runs the YouTube channel Kaloji TV.
Chief Minister KCR and his daughter K. Section 505(1)(b) (intending to spread fear among the public), 505(2) (statements causing or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between different classes) of IPC to criticize poetry (MLA) ), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of the peace) and 153A (causing enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, caste, place of birth, race, language).
The action was taken against Dasari after a TRS worker Jaligam Rajesh filed a case against him.
Rajesh said in his complaint that Dasari created panic among the people on a large scale through his Facebook post. He called these posts a lie.
Dasari said, ‘The police want to know about my sources, from where I was told by K.K. Information was received about Kavita’s illegal assets. In regards to why I am critical of the government? If you look at my Facebook post, it will be clear that I did not make any personal comment.
He alleges that the police have confiscated his equipment, camera, microphone, laptop and other items, due to which he is not able to make any more videos on his YouTube channel.
In another case, YouTube channel GSR TV Telugu and Right Voice’s G. Sivaram and Praveen Reddy were arrested by the Karimnagar police for running the channel without permission.
Police registered one case against ‘Right Voice’ and four against ‘GSR TV Telugu’.
Shivram said, ‘I am not associated with the BJP. I cover all parties, be it Congress, BJP or TRS.
Talking about these arrests, Karimnagar Police Commissioner V. Satyanarayana said, “People, celebrities, officials, public representatives, prime minister, chief minister, ministers, MPs are being targeted on social media. Posts are being made promoting enmity between different groups. This is an offense under the IT Act.
Satyanarayana said that those who have been arrested are not registered with any media house. They do not have any recognition nor do they have any kind of permission from the Information and Public Relations Department.
The police officer claims that both the YouTube channels have made derogatory remarks against their political rivals using thumbnails and taglines.
He said, ‘They were targeting even the police officers. For this we confiscated their phones and other equipment. He has accepted the crime. Claiming to be legitimate media outlets, they were recruiting people and covering every incident and changing it according to their narrative before any mainstream media house could reach there.
He said that if YouTube channels continue to make such derogatory remarks against public representatives, then such action will continue against them.
According to the News Minute report, all the arrested journalists are critical of the TRS government. Watching the videos of Kaloji TV, GSR TV and Right Voice shows that the inclination of these channels is towards the BJP.
Apart from this, recently the Hyderabad Police had also threatened to cancel the passports of NRIs who made hate and derogatory comments on social media.
Let us tell you that many NIRs of Telangana regularly discuss and participate in politics in the state by posting videos on social media.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand had asked to register a case against the NIR involved in such activities and issue a lookout notice to them.
Anand had said on January 4, “Their passports will be confiscated and their visas will also be canceled as per the legal provisions.”
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