BRS leaders condemn midnight arrest of journalists in Telangana

Senior BRS leaders condemned the midnight arrest of journalists in Telangana, accusing the Revanth Reddy government of abusing power and attacking press freedom. They compared the action to the Emergency era and demanded the immediate release of the journalists.

Hyderabad: Senior BRS leaders condemned the arrest of journalists at midnight on Tuesday, accusing the Revanth Reddy government of abusing power and assaulting press freedom by misusing the police to intimidate the media. They demanded the immediate release of the arrested journalists.

Former Minister and MLA Vemula Prashanth Reddy called the arrests heinous and undemocratic, questioning why journalists were treated like criminals. He said police broke open doors and dragged journalists from their homes during the Sankranthi festival, causing fear among families. “Issuing notices for questioning is the legal procedure. What is this new tactic of midnight arrests?” he asked.

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He accused the government of trying to silence criticism and divert attention from its failures. “Whenever people start questioning its failures, the Revanth Reddy government resorts to intimidation. This resembles the Emergency era under Indira Gandhi,” he said.

Former Minister S Niranjan Reddy also issued a sharp condemnation, stating that Revanth Reddy was using guns against pens. He asserted that journalists must be free to report the truth. He accused the government of arresting the unemployed, farmers, students and retired employees for raising legitimate demands. “The more suppression there is, the greater the rebellion will be,” he warned.

Stating that Telangana has a history of resisting oppression, he said confronting the Congress government was no big deal and cautioned that consequences were inevitable if illegal arrests continued. He asked the government to stop harassment and follow due legal process.