Hyderabad: Three journalists working with a Telugu television news channel in Hyderabad were detained on Wednesday for questioning in connection with a case related to the alleged telecast of defamatory content against a woman IAS officer, police officials said.
The development triggered sharp political reactions, with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the Congress-led Telangana government of suppressing media freedom. Both parties claimed that the journalists were “arrested” and strongly criticised the police action.
Police, however, clarified that the journalists were only called in for questioning and were not formally arrested. “They were summoned for questioning in connection with the case,” a senior police official said, responding to reports suggesting arrests.
The case was registered following a complaint filed by the Telangana IAS Officers’ Association, which alleged that certain television channels and media platforms had aired and published “false, fabricated and baseless content” targeting a woman IAS officer. Subsequently, on January 12, the Telangana Police constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter.
Reacting to the incident, BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao condemned the police action and compared it to the Emergency era. In a post on X, he accused the Congress government of intimidating journalists and demanded the immediate release of those detained. He questioned the need for such action, stating that none of the invoked sections were non-bailable.
Senior BRS leader T. Harish Rao also criticised the government, terming the incident an “attack on democracy” and calling for the immediate release of the journalists.
The BJP also joined the criticism, with Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao describing the alleged “midnight detention” as a serious assault on press freedom and democratic values. He said the BJP stood firmly with journalists and would oppose any attempt by the state government to misuse its authority to intimidate the media.
Meanwhile, police said the investigation is ongoing and further action will be taken based on the findings of the SIT.
