AMARAVATI – Senior journalist and Sakshi TV anchor Kommineni Srinivasa Rao was remanded to 14 days of judicial custody on Tuesday by a court in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district, following his arrest over allegedly derogatory comments made against women from Amaravati during a televised debate.
Rao, who was arrested from his Hyderabad residence by Thullur Police on Monday, was brought to Vijayawada and produced before the Mangalagiri court, which ordered his judicial remand. He was later lodged in Guntur district jail.
The controversy stems from a recent debate aired on Sakshi TV — a channel owned by YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy — in which political analyst V.V.R. Krishnam Raju allegedly made offensive comments while Rao was moderating. The remarks, reportedly directed at Amaravati’s women and farmers, sparked widespread outrage.
A complaint filed by Khambampati Sirisha, director of the Andhra Pradesh Madiga Corporation, led to a case being registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and other relevant sections against Rao, Krishnam Raju, and the Sakshi TV management.
Krishnam Raju remains absconding, with police continuing efforts to trace him.
Women farmers and members of Amaravati Joint Action Committees (JACs) also filed separate complaints, expressing anger over a statement reportedly characterizing Amaravati as a “capital of prostitutes.” The remarks were widely condemned as deeply offensive and defamatory.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan strongly condemned the remarks, vowing strict action against those responsible. Andhra Pradesh Women’s Commission Chairperson Rayapati Sailaja demanded a public apology from the channel, accusing it of insulting the dignity of women across the state.
The YSRCP, meanwhile, rejected the allegations as politically motivated. Senior leader Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy claimed the remarks were misrepresented and that Rao had, in fact, cautioned the analyst during the broadcast. He accused the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and what he called “yellow media” of amplifying the issue for political gain.
Sajjala also alleged that despite clarifications issued by both Rao and Krishnam Raju, the matter was deliberately escalated to malign YSRCP and its leadership. — With inputs from IANS
