Leaders condemn police cases against journalists in Khammam

Leaders and journalist unions in Khammam condemned the filing of police cases against journalists V Sambasiva Rao and Dhanunjay Reddy for covering farmers’ issues amid the urea shortage. They demanded immediate withdrawal of FIRs and threatened protests if ignored

Khammam: Leaders at a round-table meeting held here on Thursday strongly condemned the filing of police cases against journalists V Sambasiva Rao and Dhanunjay Reddy, who had gone to cover problems faced by farmers due to the urea shortage.

The speakers demanded that the State government immediately withdraw the cases. The meeting was organised under the aegis of TUWJ (TJF) Khammam district committee.

---

CPI (ML) Mass Line state secretary Potu Ranga Rao, CPI national executive member B Hemantha Rao, Congress district president P Durga Prasad, CPM leader K Venkateswara Rao, BRS City President Pagadala Nagaraju, CPI (ML) New Democracy leader Mohan Rao, leaders of journalist unions, and representatives of people’s organisations attended the meeting.

Speaking on the occasion, the leaders said it was inappropriate for the government to target journalists engaged in news coverage. They alleged that attacks on journalists and writers have increased after the BJP came to power at the Centre.

They questioned what was wrong in exposing farmers’ problems in the State. Duress against journalists was continuing, and they called for a united front to ensure cases against journalists would not persist in the future.

Advocate JAC Chairman Tirumala Rao said the government had allegedly plotted to threaten the journalists by registering an FIR under BNS Section 151, which prescribes punishment for assaulting the Governor or the President, along with other Sections.

The meeting resolved to stage protests if the cases against Sambasiva Rao, Nagaraju Rajesh, and Dhanunjay Reddy were not withdrawn. Journalist union leaders Ram Narayana, K Saidulu, Bollam Srinivas, M Venugopal, A Venkateshwara Rao, and others also spoke at the meeting.