The Andhra Pradesh government under Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has launched a sweeping crackdown. The state police have so far registered 100 cases, arrested 39 individuals, and issued 67 notices concerning posts that officials say could instigate conflict between groups, as per reports.
The crackdown has largely focused on posts directed at CM Naidu’s family, including his wife Bhuvaneshwari and son Lokesh’s wife Brahmini. Other political figures and their families have also been targeted, including Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s daughters and state Congress chief YS Sharmila.
The opposition party, led by Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), claims that its activists have borne the brunt of the action.
According to reports, 650 notices have been served to his party’s members, 147 cases have been filed, and 49 arrests have occurred within a week.
In a related development, Andhra Pradesh police have summoned filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma over morphed images of CM Naidu and Deputy CM Kalyan that he posted on social media. The case against Varma was filed after a complaint by a local resident, Ramalingam, who accused him of posting content that undermines the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister, and their families.