Political Uproar Erupts as Andhra Journalist Arrested Over Talk Show Remarks
New Delhi: The arrest of Kommineni Srinivasa Rao, a senior journalist at Sakshi TV, by the Andhra Pradesh police from his Hyderabad home on Monday, June 9, followed by his transfer to Guntur, has sparked a major political uproar in a deeply polarised and often hostile media and political climate in the state.
The arrest was based on a police complaint by Kambampati Sireesha, a leader of the Amaravati Capital Farmers’ Dalit Joint Action Committee (JAC) from Rayapudi village in Thullur mandal, in the Amaravati capital region, over a live talk show – reportedly the “KSR Live Show” (now taken down) – moderated by Rao on Sakshi TV on June 6, 2025.
On the show, journalist V.V.R. Krishnam Raju, who was a panelist, allegedly made “obscene and malicious” comments. Sireesha’s complaint cited remarks that purportedly described Amaravati as not a “capital of gods” but a “capital of prostitutes” where “only AIDS patients live.”
She contended that these statements, allegedly made with “apparent encouragement of the Sakshi management,” deeply hurt the self-respect of Amaravati’s women, particularly Dalit women.
The police registered a first information report (FIR), charging Srinivasa Rao, Krishnam Raju (currently absconding), and Sakshi TV management under several laws. These include Section 3(1)(u) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, for communications promoting enmity, hatred, or ill-will against SCs or STs, Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (as amended in 2008), for publishing or sending obscene material electronically, and various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 79 (acts intended to outrage a woman’s modesty), Section 196 (promoting enmity between groups), and other charges listed as BNS 353(2), 299, 356(2), and 61(1).
After the broadcast but before the arrest, panelist V.V.R. Krishnam Raju had reportedly apologised publicly. Moderator Srinivasa Rao had also issued a clarification. Some reports said he explained that Raju’s comments referred to alleged sex workers in certain parts of Amaravati, not the entire capital.
Rao is likely to be produced in court today.
The entrenched media-political ties
This incident’s intensity is best understood with respect to Andhra Pradesh’s known landscape of media ownership and political alignment. The Sakshi Media Group – which owns Sakshi TV and the newspaper – is led by Y.S. Bharati, wife of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader and former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Jagan Mohan Reddy’s father, the late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, founded Sakshi while he was chief minister, a move widely seen to counter the media he considered hostile.
In contrast, the Eenadu Group – which owns Eenadu newspaper and ETV network – founded by Ramoji Rao; and ABN Andhra Jyothy – which owns ABN TV, Andhra Jyothy newspaper – led by Vemuri Radhakrishna, are widely seen as backing the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), led by current chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. Rao, Radhakrishna, and Naidu are all from the Kamma community.
Other channels like TV5, owned by Bollineni Rajagopala Naidu, who also belongs to the Kamma community, is the current TTD chairman, and seen as a close aide of Chandrababu Naidu, are viewed similarly.
This partisan split often leads to media houses openly accusing each other of spreading “fake news.” Historically, Eenadu played a key role in the rise of NTR and later Chandrababu Naidu, while Sakshi was crucial to Jagan Mohan Reddy’s political journey.
The rivalry has involved lawsuits, media bans and even attacks on journalists and media offices.
YSRCP decries arrest as vendetta
YSRCP leaders, including Jagan Mohan Reddy and party’s state coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, strongly condemned the arrest as “political vendetta”, an attempt to “gag the press” and a diversion. They argued that Srinivasa Rao, as moderator, was not responsible for a panelist’s remarks, that he had reportedly warned Raju and the controversial discussion was short.
They said that Sakshi TV disavowed Raju’s opinions, and both men had offered clarifications or apologies before TDP-leaning media allegedly amplified the issue.
They further pointed to an apparent pattern of targeting Srinivasa Rao, who reportedly faced professional setbacks during a previous TDP term (2014-19), and contrasted the swift police action now with alleged inaction on complaints against TDP-allied media.
The YSRCP leaders claimed that the use of serious charges was an attempt to deny bail. Attacks on Sakshi offices, like one in Renigunta, condemned by YSRCP MP Gurumoorthy), were described as part of a planned campaign.
Several former YSRCP ministers, including Ambati Rambabu, Vidadala Rajini, Taneti Vanitha, Pamula Pushpa Srivani, Parvatareddy Chandrasekhar Reddy, Kasu Mahesh Reddy, linked the arrest to a broader collapse of women’s safety under TDP rule, citing incidents like an Anantapur student’s murder, and accused the government of a “Red Book” vendetta.
On June 10, Jagan Mohan Reddy accused Chandrababu Naidu of hypocrisy. He recalled supposedly controversial past remarks about women by Naidu and his relatives and called the controversy a smokescreen for government failures, citing rape and violence statistics.
Ruling coalition defends action, condemns remarks
Conversely, leaders from the TDP, its coalition partner Jana Sena (led by Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan), and the BJP, along with heads of state bodies, defended the police action. Chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan strongly condemned the comments as vulgar and unacceptable.
Kalyan called it a “well-orchestrated conspiracy” by Jagan Mohan Reddy and Sakshi. The state’s human resource development and IT minister and son of chief minister Naidu, Nara Lokesh questioned YSRCP’s attitude towards women, pointing to Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy’s alleged remarks about protestors.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Mahila Commission Chairperson Rayapati Sailaja announced notices to Sakshi TV and the individuals involved. She praised the police action and asked why Raju was absconding.
Alapati Suresh Kumar, TDP loyalist and chairman of the A.P.C. Raghavachari Media Academy, criticised Krishnam Raju’s remarks and Srinivasa Rao for allegedly downplaying them and misrepresenting a Times of India article.
Telugu Mahila activists protested outside Sakshi TV’s Guntur office. TDP MLA Dhulipalla Narendra Kumar called the broadcast an intentional insult to women who did not support YSRCP.
Deputy speaker Kanumuru Raghurama Krishna Raju asserted that both panelists failed media ethics, adding that Srinivasa Rao “laughed along”, deeming it equally serious.
BJP state spokesperson Bhanu Prakash Reddy demanded an apology from Jagan Mohan Reddy, alleging his silence showed involvement, and defended unrelated police action in Tenali.
Speaking to The Wire, TDP national spokesperson Deepak Reddy also addressed several points. Asked why the anchor was arrested when the comments were made by a panelist, Reddy said, “Sakshi has always been a propaganda mouthpiece of YSRCP. We don’t consider them journalists. We believe this was pre-planned and organised, not incidental.”
To allegations of revenge politics and an excuse to target Sakshi, he replied: “The investigation will broaden because Sakshi has not renewed its license for two years. The Government of India did not renew the license and raised many questions.”
Regarding opposition claims about inaction on complaints against TDP-leaning channels, Reddy claimed, “We have received no such complaints. If they provide any, we will take strict, non-discriminatory action.”
Also Read: A letter to Test cricket, from WTC25 Finalists South Africa
