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.
Published – June 10, 2025 04:46 am IST
