Two women journalists were attacked by residents of Kondareddypally in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district on Thursday, August 22. The journalists have alleged that the attackers were Congress supporters who wanted to hinder the journalists’ coverage of farm loan waiver protests.
Several farmers across Telangana protested against the partial implementation of the waiver after the state government announced on August 15 that loans worth Rs 2 lakh per acre would be waived. “The Telangana government is the lone government that has deposited Rs 18,000 crore in the farmers bank accounts directly in 27 days,” CM Revanth had said earlier. However, protesting farmers remarked that they either received a partial sum or none at all.
Saritha Avula and Vijaya Reddy work for the Telugu Scribe and Mirror TV, respectively. Following the Congress-led Telangana government’s announcement of farm loan waivers on August 15, they visited Kondareddypally to check how many farmers benefited from the waiver. Telugu Scribe and Mirror TV are understood to be channels that favour the opposition, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
“We spoke to around 12 farmers in the village. Barring one, all the farmers said their loans had not been waived off,” Saritha told TNM, adding that from the moment they entered Kondareddypally, two men were following them.
“When we finally confronted them, they started to get aggressive. They took my mic, threw it away, and grabbed my camera. When Vijaya attempted to record the scuffle, they surrounded her as well,” Saritha said, alleging that the fight worsened as two men took her phone away and aggressively pushed her, causing her to fall down.
“We finally approached the area police station in Kondareddypally, where somebody came and returned my camera. Police officials refused to register an FIR and we had no option but to leave with an acknowledgement letter of our complaint. Around 40 people surrounded us at the police station and tried to hit us. We were also informed by fellow reporters that two vehicles were continually following us and so we insisted that the police offer us protection and follow us till Hyderabad,” Saritha added.
Following video footage of Saritha being attacked in Kondareddypally, BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) condemned the attack. “This was a clear attempt to prevent the media from highlighting the issue of farm loan waivers. An attack on female journalists by the CM’s followers is shameful,” he said.
Saritha also tagged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge in a post on X, asking them to “acknowledge the troubling reality in Telangana.”
Speaking to TNM, Telangana Congress spokesperson Kalva Sujatha said that while she sympathises as a woman, both channels and the reporters in question have used inappropriate language to criticise the Chief Minister. “It isn’t a pro-Congress sentiment. If they aggressively attack the Chief Minister, the public is bound to be enraged. Both channels are run in favour of KTR.