Sakshi TV anchor Kommineni Srinivasa Rao arrested for calling Amaravati ‘capital of prostitutes’ during debate

Srinivasa Rao is to be produced before a court in the Guntur district, where a case has been registered at the Thullur Police Station in Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad: Senior journalist and ‘Sakshi TV’ anchor Kommineni Srinivasa Rao was arrested on Monday by Andhra Pradesh police for allegedly making derogatory remarks against women from the Amaravati region during a televised debate.

He was detained from his residence in Journalists’ Colony, Hyderabad, and taken to Andhra Pradesh for further legal proceedings.

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Srinivasa Rao is to be produced before a court in the Guntur district, where a case has been registered at the Thullur Police Station. The arrest follows a complaint lodged by State Madiga Corporation Director Khambampati Sirisha.

Along with Srinivasa Rao, political analyst VVR Krishnam Raju, and the management of ‘Sakshi TV’ have also been named in the FIR. The accused have been booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and other relevant sections of the IPC.

Several Amaravati-based women farmers and members of various Joint Action Committees (JACs) have also filed complaints, condemning the remarks that allegedly referred to Amaravati as a “capital of prostitutes”– a statement widely viewed as an offensive and demeaning insult to the women who gave up their land for the capital city’s development.

Assembly Deputy Speaker K Raghu Rama Krishna Raju also filed a complaint with the Director General of Police (DGP), calling for strict action. “Such remarks are not only biased but a serious breach of journalistic ethics and human decency,” he said.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu strongly condemned the remarks aired on the channel owned by former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

“Our culture honours daughters and mothers. Vulgar and disgraceful remarks against them, under the guise of political discourse or media commentary, are unacceptable,” Naidu said.

Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan shared the same sentiment, warning that the government would take stringent legal action. He described the remarks as part of a politically motivated smear campaign against Amaravati and its women land contributors.

“This is not an isolated incident. It’s part of a well-orchestrated conspiracy. The public must see through the real intentions of Jagan Mohan Reddy and his media machinery,” he said.

Meanwhile, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) dismissed the outrage as a “malicious campaign” led by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and its allied media. YSRCP leader Pothina Mahesh clarified that the statements made by the journalist were not reflective of the party’s views.

“TDP is deliberately amplifying these remarks to divert attention from the strong public response to our recent protests,” Mahesh said.

He also accused the TDP and its social media wing of hypocrisy, alleging that they regularly engage in online abuse, including targeting YSRCP women leaders and supporters. “These platforms are being funded by Nara Lokesh to malign opponents and spread misinformation,” Mahesh alleged.