Scribes demand arrest of Bellampalli MLA Vinod’s aide in Mancherial

Journalists in Bellampalli staged a protest demanding the arrest of Congress leader Karukuri Ramchandar, accused of abusing and threatening a reporter over a land dispute report. Wearing black badges, scribes condemned the harassment and lodged a police complaint.

Mancherial: Scribes demanded the arrest of the Congress leader Karukuri Ramchandar and an aide of Bellampalli MLA G Vinod for abusing journalists, following a news report against a disputed land. They staged a protest by wearing black badges in Bellampalli on Friday.

The scribes said that the Congress leaders were speaking at will as their party runs the government. They asked why Ramchandar was abusing journalists for telecasting a report against him regarding encroachment of land. They wanted Vinod to take stern action against Ramchandar.

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Earlier, journalists lodged a complaint with Bellampalli police seeking action against Ramchandar. They raised objections to the language used by the leader against a reporter. They said that they were facing harassment and threats for reporting critical news and exposing wrongdoings by Congress leaders. They opined that the tradition of targeting journalists was an unwelcome sign.

According to an audio clip that went viral on social media, Ramchandar abused a reporter Ramesh working with a news channel. He threatened Ramesh with thrashing after stripping him in full public view. He scolded Ramesh’s family members. He faced backlash from various sections of society, while the MLA was criticised for backing the erring leader.