HYDERABAD: Independent journalist Jalli Rekha and her six-month-old infant were kept at the Central Crimes Station (CCS) in Basheerbagh for nearly six hours on October 7. She was accused of publishing an Instagram reel that raised questions about the business investments and property holdings of Naimisha Reddy, the daughter of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
The incident highlights a disturbing trend under the Congress government in Telangana, where state power and police machinery are mobilised to shield the Chief Minister’s family, suppress critical media reporting, and silence free speech.
Midnight raids and coercive intimidation
The heavy-handed action began late in the night on October 6. Around 11:30 PM, four male police officers arrived at Rekha’s home without any accompanying female personnel. They banged on her door for 15 minutes before serving a notice demanding her appearance for questioning at 11:30 AM the next morning.
When Rekha explained that her six-month-old baby girl was suffering from a fever post-vaccination and requested time, police dismissed her plea, insisting that her appearance was mandatory.
No Room for Dissent in this Country!
Journalist Rekha from Hyderabad Telangana walks out of the police station late last night with her SIX MONTH old baby after 9 hours of questioning!!!
She wasn’t even allowed to feed her baby!!
Her mistake – she did a reel about Telangana… pic.twitter.com/6B5uDVyuI1
— Revathi (@revathitweets) October 8, 2026
https://twiiter.com/revathitweets/status/2107857347586498910?s=20
The police action stems from a First Information Report (FIR) registered on October 5 under Sections 353(2) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The complaint was lodged by Mettu Sai Kumar, chairman of the TPCC Fisherman Congress Committee, targeting Rekha’s YouTube channel MR Media Telangana, BRS leader Manne Krishank, and others. The complaint sought legal action against anyone circulating content questioning Naimisha Reddy’s financial ventures.
While Krishank was arrested on October 6, he received immediate bail from a Secunderabad magistrate, with the Telangana High Court stepping in to direct police not to take coercive steps and to strictly follow Supreme Court guidelines. Yet, instead of halting the overreach, the authorities turned their focus toward the independent journalist.
Inhumane treatment at the police station
Rekha arrived at the CCS station with her unwell baby around 3:30 PM on October 7, where she was subjected to harrowing condition for nearly six hours.
Despite nursing her child every few hours, the station provided no facility or basic privacy for an infant. Police first directed her to feed her baby inside an active interrogation room, then moved her to a busy common hall. Eventually, a woman constable instructed her to cover up and nurse in a corner. Even standard trips to the washroom required a constable escort inside the secured facility.
Officers escalated pressure by threatening her with immediate arrest and remand unless she handed over her phone, email address, and account credentials. Police admitted that their goal was to search for and delete any other videos related to the Chief Minister’s family.
During the interrogation, officials berated Rekha, accusing her of fighting “like on the street” on social media and operating under political backing. When Rekha expressed distress over keeping a feverish six-month-old infant in a station for hours, a senior official callously told her to consider what the Chief Minister’s family was going through due to allegations against their daughter.
It was only around 9:00 PM after her legal counsel Laxman intervened and challenged the officers’ unlawful demand for electronic devices without prior notice-that Rekha and her baby were allowed to leave.
Outrage and political backlash
The video of Rekha leaving the station late at night while holding her infant sparked widespread outrage across social media, drawing sharp criticism against Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and the Hyderabad Police.
Opposition leaders and political figures sharply condemned the authoritarian behaviour of the Congress regime:
BJP India Official Statement: “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.”
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… pic.twitter.com/O7GT23VFR9
— BJP (@BJP4India) October 8, 2026
T Harish Rao (BRSLP Deputy Floor Leader): “It is utterly deplorable that journalist Rekha, a mother to a six-month-old infant, was interrogated for 9 hours without even being allowed to feed her baby. Actions like this are an attack on press freedom and women’s rights and cannot be tolerated. The Congress government and Telangana DGP must provide an immediate response on this incident. The illegal case filed against journalist Rekha must be withdrawn at once.”
ఆరు నెలల పసిబిడ్డకు తల్లైన జర్నలిస్టు రేఖ గారిని 9 గంటలపాటు విచారించి, బిడ్డకు పాలిచ్చేందుకు కూడా అనుమతించకపోవడం అత్యంత దారుణం.
పత్రికా స్వేచ్ఛను, మహిళల హక్కులను కాలరాసే ఇలాంటి చర్యలను సహించేది లేదు.
ఈ ఘటనపై కాంగ్రెస్ ప్రభుత్వం, @TelanganaDGP గారు తక్షణమే సమాధానం చెప్పాలి.… https://t.co/EOkIIYqyAK
— Harish Rao Thanneeru (@BRSHarish) October 8, 2026
K T Rama Rao (BRS Working President): “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 ATM called 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 @RahulGandhi https://t.co/9bcvwlA5SJ
— KTR (@KTRBRS) October 7, 2026
A systemic attempt to silence press freedom
Reflecting on her ordeal, Rekha made it clear that her actions were well within her rights as a reporter asking tough questions to public figures.
“All I did was ask questions just like other journalists. Those facing allegations are answerable to the public. Instead, I am being subjected to inhumane and unfair treatment. It did not feel like it was only about one video or this case. It felt like an attempt to silence anyone who asks questions,” she said.
This incident underscores an alarming misuse of power in Telangana, where state authority is deployed not to uphold law and order, but to harass journalists, protect political dynasties, and suppress dissent through fear and intimidation.
