Amaravati, July 3 (IANS) Tension prevailed at Inaguduru police station in Krishna district on Friday as Jana Sena activists tried to barge in to attack YouTuber and political commentator Bachalakuri Joseph, aka Prashna Raavan, arrested for allegedly making derogatory comments about Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena leader Pawan Kalyan.

Police had a tough time controlling scores of Jana Sena workers who surrounded the police station.

Police formed a security cordon around the police station to keep the protestors away. However, some of them tried to make their way by pushing the policemen, resulting in a scuffle.

A couple of the Jana Sena workers managed to scale the wall and enter the premises. Police personnel were seen overpowering them and physically lifting them out of the police station.

Raavan, who was arrested by Andhra Pradesh police on the night of June 30 in Hyderabad, was brought to Inaguduru police station after he was granted bail by two courts in Kakinada district during the last two days.

Similar scenes were witnessed at Sarpavaram police station in Kakinada district on Thursday when Jana Sena workers had staged a protest, demanding police hand over Raavan to them. The protestors tried to stop the vehicle transporting Raavan to the government hospital for medical examination. Some protestors hurled eggs at the vehicle carrying the YouTuber.

After a court in Kakinada granted bail to Raavan, he was immediately arrested by police in a similar case registered against him at Inaguduru Police Station. He was shifted to Machilipatnam on Thursday night.

Earlier, Sarpavanam police had arrested Ravan on July 1, soon after he was granted bail by a court in Pithapuram.

The Pithampuram police had arrested the YouTuber from Hyderabad for allegedly making derogatory comments against Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and others during a Dalit Christian meeting at Eluru on 28 June.

Jana Sena workers have reportedly filed against Raavan at several police stations in the state, citing videos on Ravan’s YouTube channel ‘Prashna’.

Actor Prakash Raj accused the Andhra Pradesh government of pursuing vendetta politics by resorting to repeated arrests of Raavan. In a video posted on social media, the actor said he learnt that 30 cases have been filed against Raavan.

“How far are you planning to go by abusing power,” he asked and demanded his immediate release.

Andhra Pradesh police had also arrested journalist K. Venkatarami Reddy (KVR) from Hyderabad on the night of June 30 for alleged derogatory comments against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan.

On Thursday, he was produced before Bobbili court in Vizianagaram district, which sent him to judicial custody for 14 days.

KVR, who is a YouTuber and is also known as a political commentator, was booked by police in Vizianagaram district on a complaint by a former sarpanch, Kandi Ramesh of Badangi, on April 10.

–IANS

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