The BRS claims Mahaa News is working in concert with the ruling Congress government to malign its leadership through what it calls "a coordinated smear campaign."
Published Jun 30, 2025 | 8:20 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 30, 2025 | 8:20 PM
TPCC President Mahesh Kumar Goud inspects the damaged property at the Mahaa News office. (X)
Synopsis: The attack on the Mahaa News office in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills on Saturday has triggered a storm in Telangana politics, with accusations and counter-accusations flying thick and fast. The attack, reportedly carried out by BRS supporters, followed the channel’s controversial coverage of the ongoing investigation into the phone-tapping scandal implicating senior BRS leaders, and has drawn near-universal condemnation across the political spectrum while further deepening tensions between the BRS and the ruling Congress.
The attack on Mahaa News channel’s office in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills on Saturday, 28 June, has triggered a political storm in Telangana, with serious allegations and counter-allegations flying thick and fast.
Violence erupted soon after the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) accused the channel of airing defamatory and provocative content related to the ongoing phone-tapping scandal that allegedly implicates top BRS leaders, including former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and party working president KT Rama Rao.
The party also lodged a formal police complaint against the channel’s management.
According to eyewitness accounts, a group of individuals, allegedly affiliated with the BRS, stormed the Mahaa News office, ransacked property, broke glass panels, damaged furniture and vehicles, and physically assaulted a staff member who tried to intervene.
Following the attack, Mahaa News vowed to pursue justice through legal channels.
Later that evening, police arrested Gellu Srinivas Yadav, president of the BRS student wing (BRSV), near Telangana Bhavan around 9.30 pm.
He was charged with attempted murder under Section 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with 12 others, some of whom are still absconding.
A separate suo motu case was also registered against senior BRS leaders, including Leader of Opposition S Madhusudhana Chary and former MLA Balka Suman, for allegedly obstructing police during Srinivas Yadav’s arrest.
The Hyderabad police have launched a full-scale investigation, analysing CCTV footage and stepping up security at media establishments to prevent further escalation.
The incident has drawn sharp condemnation from leaders across the political spectrum.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka denounced the attack as an assault on democracy and press freedom.
Vikramarka personally visited the Mahaa News office and assured strict action, warning that such acts of intimidation could tarnish Hyderabad’s image as a media-friendly city.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan also criticised the attack, emphasising that differences with the media must be resolved legally, not violently.
Even BRS working president KT Rama Rao condemned the violence, urging party workers to maintain restraint.
However, he accused Mahaa News of broadcasting “baseless, vulgar, and defamatory” content and confirmed the party’s intent to take legal action against the channel.
In response, Mahaa News Managing Director Marella Vamsi Krishna wrote to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, the Press Council of India, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and other authorities, demanding justice and protection.
He alleged that over 40 BRS supporters stormed the office with the intent to silence the editorial team through intimidation.
The channel, while condemning the violence, said it would pursue legal and institutional routes for justice. It accused the attackers of attempting to muzzle critical journalism and suppress investigations into the alleged phone-tapping scandal.
Journalist associations, including the Press Club of Hyderabad, have similarly expressed solidarity with Mahaa News and demanded swift arrests.
Several opposition leaders, including BJP MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar, criticised the BRS, holding KT Rama Rao morally responsible for inciting cadres and escalating tensions.
The violence was seen as direct retaliation to the channel’s reports on surveillance allegations during the BRS regime, mainly between 2018 and 2023.
The reports allege that during the BRS rule, senior police officers, including a former intelligence chief, illegally intercepted the communications of political opponents, judicial officers, journalists, and celebrities.
What seemed to have particularly provoked BRS supporters were YouTube thumbnails and segments hinting at personal misconduct by KT Rama Rao – content the party described as defamatory and unethical.
The BRS claims Mahaa News is working in concert with the ruling Congress government to malign its leadership through what it calls “a coordinated smear campaign.”
It warned of severe legal consequences, citing a previous defamation suit filed against Congress leader Konda Surekha, in which the court entertained a ₹100 crore claim.
In its complaint to the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police, the BRS accused Mahaa News of indulging in a “deliberate character assassination” of its leaders and demanded criminal proceedings for spreading provocative and misleading content.
In the aftermath of the attack, the conflict between the BRS and the ruling Congress has only deepened, with the BRS reportedly suspecting that the Congress is backing Mahaa News in spreading defamatory content against its leaders.
While the Congress-led government has pledged to uphold press freedom and ensure legal accountability, BRS leaders have doubled down, issuing veiled warnings to Mahaa News supporters to “remember where they live and where their properties are” – a statement widely perceived as an act of intimidation.
Unless both sides pursue legal avenues and lower the rhetoric, political observers warn that the situation could spiral further, with implications for political discourse and public order in Telangana.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
