HYDERABAD: Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) leader KT Rama Rao and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have accused the Congress government in Telangana of harassing independent journalist Jalli Rekha, alleging that she was questioned for nearly seven hours at the Central Crime Station (CCS) in Hyderabad while carrying her six-month-old baby.
In a post on X, the BJP claimed that Rekha, who runs a YouTube channel, was questioned over her coverage of allegations of corruption involving the family of Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
The BJP criticised the Congress over the alleged treatment of the journalist, saying, “This is the same Congress that loudly chants ‘Smash the Patriarchy.’ Yet here was a nursing mother, forced to sit for hours in a police station with her baby, simply for doing her job as a journalist”. The party further said, “Slogans are easy. Treating a woman with dignity is harder for Congress.”
Late at night in Hyderabad, a young mother walked out of the Central Crime Station with her six-month-old baby in her arms.
Her name is Jalli Rekha, an independent journalist who runs a YouTube channel. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬, 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭.
Her only “crime” was covering allegations of massive corruption involving the family of Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 “𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐲.” 𝐘𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲, 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭.
Slogans are easy. Treating a woman with dignity is harder for Congress.
— BJP Mahila Morcha (@BJPMahilaMorcha) October 9, 2026
BRS working president KT Rama Rao also targeted the Congress government over the incident. In a post on X, he alleged that the journalist was not allowed to feed her infant and linked her questioning to her reporting on alleged corruption involving Revanth Reddy.
“This is the Mohabbat Ka Dukaan where an infant is not allowed to be fed by her mother. Her crime; she reports on the corruption of Rahul Gandhi’s Gandha ATM called Revanth Reddy. Well done,” Rama Rao said, tagging Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
This is the Mohabbat Ka Dukaan where an infant is not allowed to be fed by her mother
Her crime; she reports on the corruption of Rahul Gandhi’s Gandha ATM called Revanth Reddy
Well done @RahulGandhi
— KTR (@KTRBRS) October 7, 2026
The incident comes in the backdrop of a notice issued by the Telangana Police’s Cyber Crime Police Station in Hyderabad to journalist Sargu Rekha, also known as Jalli Rekha, in connection with a crime registered under Sections 353(2) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the notice dated October 6, 2026, the police directed Rekha to appear before the investigating officer at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Hyderabad at 11.30 am on October 7 for investigation. The notice was issued under Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The notice stated that the investigating officer had reasonable grounds to question her to ascertain facts and circumstances related to the investigation. It also directed her to cooperate with the probe, provide relevant documents and material, disclose facts truthfully and refrain from tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses. It warned that failure to comply with the notice could render her liable for arrest under Section 35(6) of the BNSS. (ANI)
