CPJ urges Indian state to release founder of Telugu news website – World

The Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) asked the government of the Indian state of Telangana to "immediately release" Ravi Prakash, founder of an independent Telugu news website, Tolivelugu.

In a statement shared on its website on Tuesday, CPJ, an independent organization that works to promote press freedom worldwide, also urged the government to ensure that Prakash is not harassed for his work.

Citing media reports, CPJ said Prakash had been arrested by Hyderabad police on October 5 on charges of corporate fraud during his time as CEO of the TV9, and added that he was forced to resign in May "in the middle of a hostile corporate acquisition."

However, the media defense group said two of Prakash's colleagues had told CPJ that his arrest had occurred in "retaliation for his refusal to withdraw two interviews on his news portal accusing the Telangana prime minister and a leading industrial corruption ".

A colleague Tolivelugu Reporter Raghu Ganji said on September 30 that the website conducted two interviews on his YouTube channel in a strike of 50,000 employees of a state transportation corporation.

"In one interview, transport union leader E Aswathama Reddy accused Prime Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrashekhar Rao and industrialist PV Krishna Reddy of being involved in a multimillion-dollar public transport scam. In another interview, opposition leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka made accusations of corruption against Rao and Reddy in connection with a large irrigation project in Kaleshwaram, Telangana. "

According to CPJ, Reddy and Rao did not immediately respond to requests for comments sent to their staff through WhatsApp.

Steven Butler, CPJ chief for Asia, said Prakash was "clearly being prosecuted for critical coverage on the Tolivelugu news website."

"The authorities in Telangana should release him immediately," Butler added.

CPJ has documented cases in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, which speak Telugu, where political parties have threatened, physically attacked and even arrested journalists, the control agency said.

In July of this year, Mojo TV the then CEO, Revathi Pogadadanda, was arrested in Hyderabad. In early February, his channel team was attacked in the streets for their coverage of the admission of women to the Sabarimala temple and the resulting protests.

In May, the newly elected prime minister of Andhra Pradesh, Jaganmohan Reddy, openly threatened two news channels that criticized him, according to the news website Kaapi filter.

Last month, an attempt by the Indian authorities to accuse an Indian journalist who exposed the poor quality of the meals served at a government school in a district of Uttar Pradesh triggered protests for fear of worsening press freedom in India.

Journalists in India have complained about the deterioration of media freedoms and vicious online attacks in recent years in the world's largest democracy. Frequently, politicians of all parties have implemented laws that seek to quell the criticisms of social networks.