Telangana police have sought information from X regarding an account called ‘TeluguScribe’ under Section 94 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which empowers a court or a police officer to issue summons for the production of documents. The notice invokes Section 43F of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which mandates that any entity or individual must furnish information requested by an investigating officer. The move has triggered criticism of the Congress government in the state, with several activists accusing the party of using state power to curb dissent.
The notice, dated April 18, was issued by R Bhaaskaran, deputy inspector general of police, intelligence department, Telangana Police. The X account in question, TeluguScribe, describes itself in its bio as: “By citizens, for citizens — TELUGU SCRIBE is fearless in exposing government failures and voicing public issues…” It frequently posts content critical of the Congress government in Telangana.
In its communication to X, Telangana Police stated that the account @TeluguScribe allegedly posted derogatory content aimed at defaming the public of Telangana. The notice further claimed that the account was operated by an individual and contained “highly objectionable and filthy language,” as well as “morphed videos and images,” which undermined the dignity of public figures and had the potential to incite hatred and violence.
DIG Bhaaskaran requested the platform to provide the following details:
- Account registration information
- Usage logs and activity details
- Any other relevant data that could assist in the investigation
The letter stated that this information was crucial to identify the individual behind these alleged “unlawful activities” and prevent further harm.
Responding to the notice, @TeluguScribe said, “We are not terrorists, Revanth Reddy garu! After trying several tactics to silence voices questioning the Revanth-led Telangana government, this seems to be the latest move to invoke the draconian UAPA. This is nothing but a blatant abuse of power. All of the TeluguScribe content is in the public domain and it is completely legal. None of the allegations made by the State Police Department in their notice are true.”
The statement added that over the past two and a half years, the Telangana government had filed nearly 70 cases against the platform.
The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) also condemned the invocation of UAPA, calling it an “ex facie illegal abuse of an anti-terror statute.” In a statement, it said: “The UAPA was enacted to address threats to the sovereignty and integrity of India—not to police political commentary or journalism critical of state governments.”
This is not the first instance of action against the outlet. On October 7, 2024, Telugu Scribe journalist Gowtham Pothagoni was arrested for posting a video of a farmer, Mallaya, who praised former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR). He was released on bail on October 16, only to find another FIR had been filed against him. According to a report by The News Minute (October 30, 2024), the FIRs accused him of “attempting to create political tensions and promoting disharmony” and “insulting the Telangana government and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.”
Earlier, in September 2024, Hyderabad Police had filed an FIR against Telugu Scribe under charges of promoting enmity between groups. The complaint alleged that the outlet had shared inflammatory content capable of triggering religious tensions and communal disharmony. The videos cited in the complaint were later taken down by the outlet.
A Dangerous Precedent
The UAPA, enacted in 1967 and amended in 2008, 2013, and 2019, is designed to penalise unlawful and terrorist activities. It empowers the Union government to designate organisations and individuals as terrorists under Schedule IV of the Act.
The law has long been criticised as draconian, with allegations that it has been used against anti-establishment activists. Prominent cases include that of Father Stan Swamy, who was arrested in 2020 in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case and died in custody in 2021. Another is student activist Umar Khalid, who has been in jail since September 2020 over allegations related to the Delhi riots, without trial.
The Act has also been used against journalists. In October 2023, NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha was arrested over allegations of receiving Chinese funding to promote “anti-national propaganda.” He spent 225 days in jail before being granted bail on May 15, 2024, after the Supreme Court declared his arrest and remand “invalid in the eyes of law”.
Similarly, Fahad Shah, editor-in-chief of The Kashmir Walla, was arrested in February 2022 under UAPA for allegedly glorifying terrorism through an article published in 2011. He was granted bail in November 2023 after 21 months in custody.
The action against Telugu Scribe, a social media news outlet, raises broader questions about whether a government can link an entire media platform to terror-related provisions based on unfavourable content. It also draws attention to perceived contradictions, as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly criticised the misuse of UAPA by the BJP, calling it a tool to suppress dissent and inconvenient truths.
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