On Wednesday, Hyderabad police arrested two YouTube journalists following a complaint by a Congress worker over a video critical of Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
Revathi Pogadadanda (44), the managing director of the YouTube channel Pulse Digital News Network, and Tanvi Yadav alias Bandi Sandhya (25), were arrested in connection with a video shot at the headquarters of the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), in which they allegedly made “derogatory and abusive remarks.”
According to the police, the two involved in “social media trolling,” were arrested based on a complaint by a 40-year-old businessman serving as the State Secretary of the Congress Social Media Cell in Hyderabad, who “came across an abusive video while browsing the internet on 10.03.2025”.
The complainant alleged that the video, circulated on the X profile ‘NippuKodi,’ featured a Pulse TV representative provocatively interviewing an unidentified individual who made derogatory remarks against Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, “clearly indicates a deliberate attempt by the Pulse TV channel to defame and spread false propaganda.”
“Such posts are highly provocative, and their content has the potential to incite divisions within society, which are likely to lead to disturbances in law and order in both Hyderabad city and the state,” reads the complaint.
Based on the complaint, the two journalists were arrested around 5 am., and the police seized two laptops, hard disks, a Pulse Media mic logo, a wireless router, and a CPU; the accused have been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.
Earlier, Revathi took to X, stating, “Cops at my doorstep! They want to arrest me. They may pick me up and take me. One thing is clear, Revanth Reddy wants to put pressure on me and my family and threaten me”.
Revathi also shared the video and a part of the FIR on her handle on X, stating, “DON’T SHARE THIS VIDEO PLEASE!!! CASES WILL BE FILED. Here is a video of my team speaking to an old man. He expresses his frustration about various issues in his own language. The Telangana Congress is busy filing cases, and Telangana police are very religiously filing FIRs on people sharing this video.”
Tagging Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Revathi wrote, “Is this the democracy you talk about? Is this part of the Constitution? Please teach your government Article 19 first! And I hope your government lets the media that doesn’t fall at their feet stay free. Also, how is sharing an opinion a crime? And if you can’t handle a one-minute opinion of a 60-70-year-old man, I pity you… When the CM of Telangana speaks about CHINA + 1, most of us assumed the wrong thing! He meant this! Control the media, stifle voices!”
The FIR has been filed under the Information Technology Act section 67 (transmitting obscene material) and Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita sections 111, 61(2), 353(2), and 352. The BNS sections deal with publishing or circulating any statement or report containing false information, rumour, or alarming news, and also with intentionally insulting someone to provoke a breach of peace.
P Viswaprasad, the Additional Commissioner of Police (Crimes and SIT), told PTI, “On March 10, our cyber crime police station received a complaint regarding circulation of video on social media channels in which there were very derogatory and abusive comments on CM Revanth Reddy.A case was registered. During the course of investigation, it was revealed that a YouTube channel is responsible for all shooting and circulation of this video… Two people have been arrested. They have been doing this habitually. Their computers, hard discs and laptops have been seized.”
“The YouTube channel has been operational for the last two months, and as part of a plan, the reporter has been provoking people to hurl abuses at the CM,” he said.
When asked if the FIR was meant as a warning to anyone who criticises the chief minister, Viswaprasad told The Indian Express that “anyone who crosses all levels of decency is liable to face the law”. “The YouTube channel works hand in glove with the BRS.”
The officer added that freedom of speech should be respected just as a person’s reputation and privacy should be. “It should conform to the standards of society,” he said.
The arrests have sparked widespread outrage.
The Editors Guild of India expressed “grave concern” over the arrest and urged the Telangana government to ensure that “any action taken against journalists follows due process and upholds the principles of free expression and justice.”
The statement called on the government to safeguard Ms. Pogadadanda’s rights and personal safety and stated the “arrest of a journalist particularly in a pre-dawn operation raises serious concerns about the use of police force in such matters.”
At the same time, the Guild reminded journalists of the “importance of fairness and responsibility in their reportage, ensuring that news is presented accurately and without malice. A free and responsible press is essential to a vibrant democracy.”
Opposition leaders, including BRS leaders K T Rama Rao, T Harish Rao, and Kalvakuntla Kavitha strongly condemned the arrest.
Kya Yahi Hain Aap Ki “Mohabbat Ki Dukaan” ? @RahulGandhiJi? Arresting two women journalists in the wee hours of the morning!! What is their crime? Giving voice to the public opinion on incompetent & corrupt Congress Govt. Last I checked, the Constitution of India that you hold regularly, upholds Freedom of Speech Mr. Gandhi,” K T Rama Rao wrote on X.
BRS MLA Harish Rao asked, “Is this democracy or dictatorship? @revanth_anumula government responds to questions with arrests. The illegal arrest of a senior journalist @revathitweets garu at 5 AM today exposes how insecure and cowardly this government has become. I strongly condemn this shameful attempt to silence voices and suppress press freedom.”
Condemning the arrest, MLC Kavitha Kalvakuntla, said, “Under CM Revanth Reddy’s rule, if you question something, you will be subjected to taunts, threats, and arrests.”
According to Hyderabad city police, Pogadadanda Revathi was previously involved in cases for allegedly verbally abusing a Dalit person on a live show, for which she was arrested and released on bail, and for intentionally making false allegations against Telangana State Power Distribution Company Limited, which she posted on her social media handles.
