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Watch Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister’s announcement here: [YouTube video | English translation by Sarvam]
Just a few months after arresting a stand-up comedian, Andhra Pradesh (AP) police have now arrested YouTuber Raavan, also known as B. Joseph, who runs the Prashna YouTube channel, and journalist–YouTuber K. Venkatrami Reddy (KVR) of Myra Media, according to Telugu Scribe and The News Minute.
Both arrests were reportedly linked to political commentary against AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan.
Why AP police arrested Raavan a.k.a. B. Joseph: An FIR was registered against Raavan at the Pithapuram police station on June 29 based on a complaint filed by Jana Sena member Bojja Kumar Babu. The complaint stemmed from a speech that Raavan delivered at a Dalit Christian public meeting in Eluru on June 28.
Raavan was booked for promoting religious enmity, intentional insult likely to provoke a breach of peace, defamation, and organised crime. The complaint also alleged that the speech was intended to incite caste, religious, and political tensions, hurt Jana Sena party workers, and disturb public peace.
On July 2, 2026, a magistrate granted Raavan bail. However, he was immediately rearrested by Sarapakam police in a separate case filed by Jana Sena activists over remarks he allegedly made against Pawan Kalyan in 2025.
Why AP police arrested K. Venkatrami Reddy (KVR): KVR was booked on charges including endangering India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity; making prejudicial imputations against national integration; committing obscene acts; public mischief; and transmitting sexually explicit material electronically.
He was also reportedly booked earlier in April by Badangi police in Vizianagaram district over comments against Chief Minister Naidu.
AP DyCM announces special team to receive social media misuse complaints: “We are going to set up a special team to accept complaints related to social media misuse directly in the Deputy Chief Minister’s office. Citizens can file complaints with screenshots, links, videos, or any other digital evidence. Every genuine complaint will be examined thoroughly, forwarded to the concerned authorities, and ensured for legal action.
I also request you, as citizens, to identify those who are repeatedly engaging in misuse through fake accounts and provide their details to the government. This is not just the government’s responsibility; it is the responsibility of all of us, together,” AP Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan said following the arrests.
What is not counted as free speech, according to AP DyCM:
- Obscene language
- Baseless personal attacks
- Attempts to destroy reputations
- Fake propaganda
- Morphed images
- Death threats
Fake accounts and the abuse of women and religious figures: Pawan Kalyan further said that there are often organised and systematic campaigns carried out by individuals hiding behind fake accounts. He also said that women face the most extreme forms of obscene abuse and that gods and goddesses are deliberately mocked.
“None of this constitutes freedom of expression, nor does it qualify as healthy criticism; it is a perversion of democratic values, and it has no place in a true democracy,” he added.
Bengaluru court grants temporary blocking order over allegations against Pawan Kalyan: Recently, Pawan Kalyan approached the Bengaluru Urban Court seeking temporary blocking orders against content, particularly posts related to language encroachment allegations, on social media platforms including X, Google, and Meta. The court granted the blocking order until the next hearing on July 24. Read MediaNama’s reporting on the case here.
Rising online censorship in Andhra Pradesh: In recent months, there have been increasing attempts at online censorship in Andhra Pradesh. Some of the instances covered by MediaNama include:
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