In the urban confines of Kurnool, nestled within Andhra Pradesh, an unsettling incident unfolded on Tuesday as fervent adherents of Panyam YSRCP MLA Katasani Rambhupal Reddy launched a vehement assault on the regional sanctum of ‘Eenadu.’ The entourage of Katasani, in substantial numbers, besieged the establishment, unleashing a barrage of stones and endeavoring to breach the secure confines by force. The emblem of the office bore the brunt of their ire as they obliterated it, attributing their actions to the purported dissemination of disparaging news against the esteemed MLA through the ‘Eenadu’ medium. The air resonated with slogans extolling the virtues of Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy and the Panyam YSRCP MLA, accompanied by the conspicuous display of YSRCP flags.
APCC president YS Sharmila, a vocal critic of the YSRCP, decried the incident, branding the mob assault on the ‘Eenadu’ regional bastion in Kurnool as an act devoid of humanity. Her censure extended beyond this event, as she lamented a recent attack on an Andhra Jyoti photographer in Raptadu. Sharmila opined that these assaults underscore a blatant erosion of press freedom. In her accusatory tone, she contended that the ruling party, unable to reconcile with unpalatable truths, has normalized a pattern of reproach, aggression, and even lethality.
Within the corridors of power governed by the YSRCP, assaults on journalists and media precincts have become a disconcerting routine, Sharmila deplored. In her impassioned declaration, she emphasized that an assault on journalists equates to an assault on the very foundations of democracy. Urging an unequivocal response, she called for the identification of the perpetrators and the imposition of stringent repercussions.
