Latest news with #SakshiTV
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Senior journalist arrested over controversial debate
The Andhra Pradesh police on Monday (June 9, 2025) arrested Kommineni Srinivasa Rao, a senior journalist working with Sakshi TV, at his residence in Hyderabad and brought him to Guntur. The arrest was made based on a police complaint lodged by Kambampati Sireesha, a leader of Amaravati Capital Farmers' Dalit JAC and a resident of Rayapudi in Thullur mandal. 'During a live talk show with KSR programme in Sakshi TV, journalist V.V.R. Krishnam Raju and Kommineni Srinivasa Rao made obscene and malicious comments that Amaravati is not the capital of gods but of prostitutes and that only AIDS patients live there. These remarks, apparently made with the encouragement of the Sakshi management, have deeply hurt the self-respect of the women of Amaravati, particularly Dalit women,' Ms. Sireesha alleged in her complaint. The police mentioned in the FIR that, 'This is a case of insulting the modesty of women, promoting and creating enmity between different groups, with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of citizens of India and defaming the women with criminal conspiracy. It promotes the feelings of enmity against members of the SCs or STs by transmitting through Sakshi TV channel that occurred on June 6, 2025.' Cases have been registered against the accused including Mr. Krishnam Raju, Mr. Srinivasa Rao and Sakshi TV management under Section 3(1)(u) of SC and ST Prevention of Atrocities Act (POA) Act, 1989, Section 67 of IT Act-2000-2008, Section 79 (Word, gesture or an act intended to outrage the modesty of women), Section 196 (Promoting enmity between different groups) and other charges including 353(2), 299, 356(2), 61(1) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). While Mr. Srinivasa Rao was arrested, the police are still on the hunt for Mr. Krishnam Raju, who is absconding. The police refused to divulge more details in view of security reasons.
India Today
13 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
Case against Jagan Reddy-owned news channel for derogatory remarks on women
Andhra Pradesh Police have registered a case against two Telugu journalists Kommineni Srinivas and VV Krishnam Raju, and the management of Sakshi TV, a regional news channel owned by YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy, for allegedly making derogatory remarks about women from the Amaravati region. The remarks, aired live on Sakshi TV on June 6, were reportedly made by journalist VV Krishnam Raju, who allegedly referred to the Amaravati region as a 'capital of prostitutes'.advertisementThe case was filed on June 9 at the Thullur Police Station in Guntur district under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Information Technology Act, and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The FIR includes offences under sections 79, 196(1), 353(2), 299, 356(2), 61(1)BNS, 67 ITA-2008, 3(1)(U), SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Kommineni Srinivas was arrested in Hyderabad, Telangana, and is expected to be brought to Vijayawada for further proceedings. Andhra Pradesh Assembly Deputy Speaker Raghurama Krishna Raju filed a complaint with the Director General of Police on Saturday, calling the televised remarks an affront to journalistic ethics and requesting that cases be filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code against Krishnam Raju, Kommineni Srinivas, Sakshi TV, and the programme Telugu Desam Party Member of Parliament Lavu Krishna Devarayalu lodged complaints with the Press Council of India and the National Human Rights Commission, urging an inquiry into the broadcast and demanding punitive Sunday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had issued a strong condemnation of the remarks aired on Sakshi TV. 'Ours is a culture that honours daughters. We belong to a society that reveres the feminine divine. This is our tradition — the essence of Indian life. Particularly among Telugu people, daughters and mothers are held in deep affection and high esteem,' Naidu said. 'In such a state of ours, making disgraceful and vulgar remarks about our mothers and sisters under the guise of political vendetta or media analysis is an unforgivable offence.'He further criticised the YSRCP for propagating what he called a 'toxic culture' through its media arm, and rebuked Jagan Mohan Reddy for remaining silent on the matter. 'It is even more distressing that a former Chief Minister, under whose own media channel these offensive statements were broadcast, has yet to denounce the act or apologise to women — a silence that is deeply troubling,' Naidu warned of strict consequences, declaring, 'Those who crossed all boundaries and wounded the sentiments of women in the name of a malicious conspiracy against the capital will face the strictest possible consequences. The derogatory and deliberate insults aimed at the women of that region — who protested against the previous destructive regime — are not just attacks on individuals, but an affront to womanhood itself.' He added that the National Democratic Alliance government would act decisively to protect the dignity of Andhra Pradesh Women's Commission Chairperson Rayapati Sailaja also condemned the remarks. She said, 'Those who insulted the women of Amaravati must be punished. No one should defend the derogatory comments made by Sakshi Media against the women of the capital. It is not appropriate to attribute caste and religion to Amaravati.'She accused the channel of spreading misinformation without basis. 'What wrong did the women of Amaravati do? Was it their mistake donating land for Amaravati? There is no justification for making insulting remarks about women under the guise of freedom of speech,' she said. 'Did the farmers of Amaravati say anything to Sakshi media? It is Sakshi media that has once again pushed Amaravati farmers onto the streets.'Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh also criticised YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in a public statement. 'How can your media house Sakshi insult women so horrifically? The false propaganda driven by hatred towards the self-respect of mothers and towards Amaravati is the peak of your degradation,' he said. Calling Amaravati 'the capital of the gods', he accused the former Chief Minister of seeking to defame the region. 'The NDA government will not tolerate any further attacks on the women of the state or their dignity,' he said, demanding an unconditional apology and promising that the alliance government would ensure strict punishment for those found guilty. advertisementIN THIS STORY#Andhra Pradesh
Hans India
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
‘Sakshi TV' anchor arrested for derogatory remarks against Amaravati women
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. 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 V.V.R. 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 Y.S. 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.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
TDP Floor Leader in Lok Sabha demands action against journalist for derogatory comments on Amaravati
Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, TDP Floor Leader in the Lok Sabha, wrote letters to Vijaya R. Rahatkar, Chairperson of the National Commission for Women, National Human Rights Commission Chairman Justice (Retd.) V. Ramasubramanian, and Press Council of India Chairman Justice (Retd.) Ranjana Prakash Desai, requesting them to take suo motu cognisance of the derogatory comment made by journalist V.V.R. Krishnam Raju that the State capital Amaravati was the 'capital of sex workers', and take appropriate action against him. Mr. Krishna Devarayalu was referring to the comment passed by Mr. Krishnam Raju during a televised debate on Sakshi TV on June 6 hosted by Kommineni Srinivasa Rao, and sought an investigation into the incident, and the initiwtion of criminal proceedings against Sakshi TV for insulting the Modesty of a Woman under the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita. He also wanted a direction to the Sakshi Channel to submit an explanation and publicly apologise for airing such content. The TDP MP said the impugned comments amounted to committing a gross violation of human dignity, fundamental rights, and media responsibility. The comments were humiliating to the women and culture of Andhra Pradesh. The broadcast of this offensive content suggested a failure of editorial oversight. He said the right to free speech could not be weaponised to demean women and it should be ensured that women's dignity was not sacrificed for mere TRPs.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Stern action will be taken against those behind malicious campaign against capital Amaravati, says A.P. Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party (JSP) president K. Pawan Kalyan said on Sunday that the government would take stringent action as per law against those who unleashed a malicious campaign against the capital city of Amaravati and women who parted with their lands for its development. In a release, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said the derogatory comments made by journalist V.V.R. Krishnam Raju on Sakshi TV channel, and its news anchor and senior journalist Kommineni Srinivasa Rao were politically motivated and a part of a well -organised conspiracy. He suggested to the people to understand the intentions of the former Chief Minister, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, and his media outlets. The 'outrageous statements' on the capital should not be considered as the opinion of a single individual, he said. The TV channel could not escape responsibility by claiming that the said comments were the personal views of Mr. Krishnam Raju, and pretending to respect women. 'These attempts to demean the capital region, which has a rich heritage, are reprehensible,' Mr. Pawan Kalyan said. He pointed out that the capital region had historical and spiritual significance, which was evident from the multiple inscriptions that date back to the Mauryan and Ikshvaku dynasties. Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang had described this land as one where Buddhism flourished, and Acharya Nagarjuna tread the place, he added. 'How can anyone who has knowledge of these and other relevant facts make despicable comments on it?' Mr. Pawan Kalyan sought to know. He noted that 32% of those who had given their lands for Amaravati belonged to the SC/ST communities, 14% to the Backward Classes, 20% to the Reddy community, 18% to the Kamma community, 9% to the Kapu community, and 3% to the Muslim community.
