Many of us South Indians generally maintain this notion that we have it better down here when compared to the north. That there is more freedom, less bigotry, and more civil liberties.
The illusion is that we have more of a dissent culture, that things work better, education levels are higher, that we have better roads and functional governments. Better roads and more jobs don’t add up to a better health of democratic culture. We are not better than the northern states in reality, but are left at the mercy of our political masters, just like anywhere else in the country.
At the centre of this is YouTuber Bachalakuri Joseph, a Dalit Christian influencer popularly known as ‘Prashna’ Raavan, who has been arrested five times across Andhra Pradesh within a single week. He was first taken into custody on 30 June by Kakinada district police for allegedly making controversial remarks against Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan at an event titled ‘Dalit Christian War Cry’ (Dalitha Kraisthava Samara Sankharavam), held to demand Scheduled Caste status for Dalit Christians.
What followed was a cycle of arrest and bail with almost no gap in between. Immediately after securing his first bail, he was arrested again on 2 July, this time by Sarpavaram police over a pending 2025 case related to his YouTube channel. He got bail a second time, only to be arrested a third time on 3 July by Machilipatnam and Inaguduru police in another case. A fourth arrest followed on 4 July, this time by Payakaraopeta police, though an Anakapalli court rejected the remand request and he was granted bail once more.
Raavan didn’t get far. As he travelled back toward Hyderabad, Gannavaram police intercepted him at the Vempadu Toll Plaza and arrested him for the fifth time. This time, the charges were far more serious: he was booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), along with multiple Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections, over an allegation that he circulated a video promoting Naxal and Maoist ideology. He was remanded to 14 days of judicial custody and transferred to Nellore Central Prison.
But let’s face it, it’s quite clear that the police kept coming after him simply because he was critical of Pawan Kalyan. And Raavan was not the only one. KV Reddy, a local journalist who runs Myra Media online, was also arrested on 30 June for being critical of the Andhra Pradesh government headed by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Videos of Reddy’s arrest show the police landing up at his house and arresting him even as his family tried to resist. He was eventually taken away after first being brought to a local police station for transfer.
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Andhra Pradesh is no better
Over the past few months, the Andhra Pradesh government has in fact become more and more authoritarian, cracking down on dissenting voices. Sure, let’s not assume that Raavan is innocent, or that KV Reddy didn’t say something unpalatable, but the way both of them were arrested was not right.
In fact, Pawan Kalyan’s party members have been more proactive in going after anyone they feel has insulted their leader. It may be recalled that two comedians — Anudeep Katikala and Mohammed Rafeeq — were also arrested for jokes about the Deputy CM.
But to book someone under UAPA just to silence a dissenting voice is a betrayal of our democratic values. For states that consider themselves more developed or progressive, this entire episode of arresting anyone critical of the state or its leaders is a sign that we’re not really living in democracy but in a feudal system.
Recall how the Andhra Pradesh police went all the way to Prayagraj to arrest Anudeep, who had even apologised for his jokes. But Jana Sena Party (JSP) workers clearly didn’t seem to care. This time, though, it’s more serious, because booking someone under the UAPA is no joke.
Andhra Pradesh under Naidu and Pawan Kalyan is currently in the process of building a new capital, Amaravati, which they want to show off to the rest of the world. But you can’t really build a world-class city if it doesn’t match up to global democratic values, which seem all but dead from where we are standing.
Is anybody sure where exactly the line lies, or how much one is allowed to criticise the incumbent government and its leaders without attracting criminal charges or a UAPA arrest? The Andhra Pradesh government needs to stop clamping down on dissent and arresting people it does not agree with.
It just proves that no matter what we say, when it comes to clamping down on dissent, Andhra Pradesh is no better than any other state, or the rest of the country.
Yunus Lasania is a Hyderabad-based journalist whose work primarily focuses on politics, history and culture. He posts on X @YunusLasania. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant Dixit)