Hyderabad: A journalist from Zee Telugu was manhandled by police while covering the DSC candidates’ protest at Osmania University (OU) on Wednesday, July 10. This incident is part of a series of issues reporters have faced on campus, especially after the administration began restricting entry into OU.
The journalist was filming the protest when two sub-inspectors from the OU police station apprehended him, dragged him to a police vehicle, and transported him to the police station. The local police inspector allegedly threatened the journalist to delete his videos. This incident has sparked sharp criticism from multiple quarters. Recently, another reporter from TV9 was similarly manhandled and forced into a police jeep.
Former Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) minister Harish Rao condemned the police’s actions, accusing them of attacking journalists. “Is it wrong for them to cover the news as part of their duty? Arresting journalists and forcibly taking them to police stations is a violation of media rights and freedom. We warn the government to change its autocratic attitude towards journalists. We demand the immediate release of the detained journalists,” Harish Rao posted on X.
Although the Congress government is facing criticism, it’s notable that similar accusations were made against the police under the BRS government for restricting journalists from performing their duties.
In response to these incidents, journalists from various media houses protested in front of the Media Center of the State Secretariat today. They wore black badges, condemning the increasing police attacks on media personnel.
