Amid the continued dispute over several YSR Congress Party social media activists being booked or arrested by the police over alleged abusive comments, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan proposed bringing in a dedicated law for ‘social media abuse protection’. Speaking in the Assembly on November 14, Thursday, Pawan Kalyan said, “Andhra Pradesh should lead by example, by introducing a social media abuse protection Bill.” However, he did not elaborate how the Bill would be different from existing laws under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) or the Information Technology Act currently being invoked in such cases. 

Seemingly referring to a recent case of the alleged rape and murder of a three-year-old child in Tirupati, Pawan Kalyan said, “The reason for criminals to rape three-year-old kids and being so brazen, is because people would talk as they wish in the Assembly, creating a criminal nexus, like Pablo Escobar’s drug cartel. These people (alluding to the opposition YSRCP) have started a social media abusive cartel to guard their criminal empire, creating fear among people, controlling them.”

He also referred to the arrests of Deputy Speaker Kanumuru Raghu Rama Krishna Raju and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu under the previous YSRCP government. Addressing the Deputy Speaker, now a TDP MLA who was formerly a YSRCP MP, Pawan Kalyan said, “If a person like you, who has been an MP, if you could be harassed so much, imagine the state of an average person.”

“If anyone opposes them (YSRCP), like Raghu Rama Krishna Raju, they would be jailed and tortured. They even jailed a three-time CM (Naidu). If this mindset is to be changed, this Assembly must do something, to bring change, to bring a sense of freedom,” Pawan Kalyan said. 

Several social media activists of YSRCP have been booked, detained or arrested across the state for their alleged derogatory social media posts against Naidu, Pawan Kalyan and their family members. Many of the comments were posted when the YSRCP was in power. The police have invoked provisions of the BNS such as Section 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 353 (statements conducing to public mischief) and 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman). 

Recently, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma too was served a notice by the Andhra Pradesh police for his alleged objectionable comments against Naidu, Pawan Kalyan, and their family members, based on a complaint by a TDP member named Ramalingam. RGV allegedly made the remarks during the promotion of his film ‘Vyuham’ late last year. He was booked under Section 336 (forgery) and 353 of the BNS Act and also under Section 67 of the IT Act (punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form). 

YSRCP has been protesting the issue of arrests of its social media activists across Andhra Pradesh for weeks now, alleging that the TDP government has been foisting false cases and failing to follow due process before detaining party workers. When YSRCP was in power, it faced similar allegations for cracking down on TDP workers over social media posts.  

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On November 14 too, YSRCP members in the Legislative Council insisted on a debate on the issue and when the Chairman rejected their request, they staged a protest in the Well of the House. The MLCs raised slogans of “we want justice” and “save democracy.”

They were also carrying posters of objectionable posts against YSRCP President Jagan and his family members by the leaders of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and its alliance partners.

Jagan Mohan Reddy slammed the TDP-led coalition government for the crackdown. “Social media is a platform to express views and this government has been scuttling the voice using brute force,” he said.

The YSRCP chief said police had given notices to 680 social media activists, booked 147 cases and arrested 49 people.

(With IANS inputs)