Hyderabad, Jan 14 (IANS) Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday condemned the arrest of TV journalists by Telangana, terming it an attack on freedom of press and democratic values.

The YSR Congress Party president took to ‘X’ to condemn the arrest of journalists of Telugu news channel NTV in a case for telecasting alleged defamatory content about a Telangana minister and a woman IAS officer.

“I strongly condemn the arrests of NTV journalists, which amount to a direct attack on the freedom of the press and democratic values. Forcefully entering journalists’ homes by breaking doors at midnight during this festival and arresting them without following due legal procedure or issuing notices is highly deplorable and reflects an authoritarian mindset,” wrote Jagan Mohan Reddy.

“Journalists are neither criminals nor terrorists, yet they are being treated with unwarranted harshness. Such actions inflict severe mental trauma on their families and create fear among the media fraternity. I demand the immediate release of the arrested journalists and urge the government to respect the Constitution, uphold the rule of law, and protect the freedom of the press,” he said.

Meanwhile, National Union of Journalists-India has condemned the “Illegal” arrest of senior journalists by Telangana police and termed it a grave attack on democracy and constitutional freedom and demanded their immediate release.

In a letter to Telangana DGP, NUJ-I president Ras Bihari and senior leader Silveri Srishailam lodged strong protest over arrest of senior journalists Dontu Ramesh, Paripoorna Chary, and Sudheer by the Telangana police in connection with a news report telecast on NTV concerning a minister in the State Cabinet.

“The manner in which these arrests were carried out exposes a serious failure of democratic governance. Even after constituting a Special Investigation Team (SIT), the State Government permitted the police to arrest the journalists without issuing any prior notice, summons, or opportunity to explain. This action is clearly in violation of the principles of natural justice, due process of law, and constitutional safeguards guaranteed to every citizen,” reads the letter.

“Journalists are not criminals. They are professionals discharging their duty of informing the public. Arresting journalists for a news report sends a dangerous message that the Government is intolerant of scrutiny and criticism. Such actions create fear among media professionals and amount to criminalisation of journalism, which is unacceptable in a democratic society,” it added.

While making it clear that NUJ-I does not support journalism that violates the law or indulges in personal defamation, they wrote that no democratic government has the right to misuse police machinery to intimidate journalists.

“If at all there were objections to the content of the news report, the Government had several lawful remedies available, including seeking clarification, issuing notices, or approaching appropriate legal forums. Resorting to arrest is the most extreme step and reflects authoritarian intent. It is the responsibility of the State Government to protect freedom of the press under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India. The present action of the Telangana Police, carried out with the knowledge and approval of the Government, amounts to a direct attack on democracy and constitutional values,” they said.

–IANS

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