Though the police said the protesting women did not indulge in arson, they did not mention the cause of the fire nor name the suspects.
Published Jun 11, 2025 | 12:59 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 11, 2025 | 12:59 PM
YSRCP leader Botsa Satyanarayana accused the TDP-led regime of failing to maintain law and order, calling the attacks an "assault on press freedom and democracy". (Wikimedia Commons)
Synopsis: While the YSRCP claimed the TDP had unleashed premeditated violent attacks against the offices of Sakshi in Andhra Pradesh, the TDP accused Jagan Mohan Reddy of trying to divert attention from the anti-woman derogatory comments aired on the television channel.
A blame game is underway between the ruling TDP and the opposition YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh after a blaze gutted a furniture godown located a floor below the Sakshi television channel’s office in NR Pet, Eluru on Tuesday, 10 June.
The timing of the “mysterious” fire sparked suspicion that it could be linked to the ongoing protests against Sakshi, following its airing of a debate in which a news analyst, Krishnam Raju, made a derogatory comment about women in Amaravati. Senior journalist Kommineni Srinivasa Rao, who anchored the debate, has since been arrested.
Sources said unidentified people doused the furniture outside Sakshi’s regional office with petrol and set them ablaze. The raging fire triggered panic in the area for some time.
The fire was noticed even as a group of women took out a protest rally against Sakshi for the derogatory comment, demanding legal action against the channel management. The protesters said the rally was peaceful and denied having any role in the fire. They said someone had set fire to the godown, knowing well that they were proceeding to the office.
Meanwhile, at Rajanagaram in the East Godavari district, miscreants burned copies of the Sakshi newspaper and raised slogans against YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and the publication.
Eluru Deputy Superintendent of Police Sharavan Kumar told the media that the fire in Eluru originated in a furniture godown beneath Sakshi’s office. He clarified that the gutted furniture did not belong to Sakshi. The officer warned of strict action against those spreading fake news on social media.
He also stated that the protesters were 200 meters away when the fire started and were not involved. He, however, did mention the cause of the fire and who the suspects were.
The TDP accused Jagan Mohan Reddy of orchestrating the incident to divert attention from the derogatory remarks made on Sakshi. They called it a ploy to disrupt TDP’s upcoming anniversary celebrations.
Meanwhile, the YSRCP condemned what it called “premeditated and violent attacks” on Sakshi offices across Andhra Pradesh, particularly the Eluru incident, where miscreants allegedly “hurled petrol bombs and stones.”
Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, Botsa Satyanarayana, accused the TDP-led regime of failing to maintain law and order, calling the attacks an “assault on press freedom and democracy”.
YSRCP Kakinada District President and former minister Kurasala Kannababu described the arson as part of a “broader conspiracy” by the ruling party, claiming the violence was “carefully orchestrated.”
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
