A week ago, the Congress-led government in Telangana reportedly initiated a crackdown on free speech by directing the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police to create Suspect/History Sheets for social media users accused of “cyber offences” and “financial frauds,” regardless of whether they had been convicted. The official memo, citing Standing Order 600-1 of the Telangana Police Manual and Section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), instructs the police to treat such users as “habitual or addicted offenders” and place them under continuous surveillance.
On the one hand, while the Congress governments have withdrawn cases against Islamists/terrorists across the country, the same Congress-ruled establishments have filed cases for exercising free speech.
In this report, we document a series of incidents from 2020 to 2025 where legal actions, including First Information Reports (FIRs) and arrests, were initiated against journalists and social media influencers in states governed by or with significant involvement from the Indian National Congress.
These cases often stem from criticism of party leaders, questioning of government governance, or the dissemination of content deemed offensive or false.
#1 Doordarshan Journalists Targeted
On 9 May 2025, Karnataka Congress leader CM Dhananjaya filed a complaint with Bengaluru’s High Grounds Police Station against Doordarshan journalists Ashok Shrivastava and Prakhar Shrivastava. The leader condemned a program that allegedly portrayed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as a “traitor,” particularly during a period of heightened military tensions with Pakistan. The Congress party accused the journalists of making “communal, unverified, and derogatory statements” on social media.
#2 Arrest of Pulse News Journalists
In March 2025, the Telangana Congress’s social media unit filed a complaint against Pulse News journalists Revathi Pogadadanda and Tanvi Yadav for broadcasting allegedly “offensive” content about Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. Subsequently, on March 17, Hyderabad police arrested both journalists. However, the court granted them bail, ruling that Section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to habitual offenders, could not be applied as there was no element of organized crime or monetary transactions involved in their actions.
#3 Influencer Arrested for Criticism in Karnataka
On 4 December 2024, Belagavi Police in Karnataka arrested 38-year-old social media influencer Mohit Narasimhamurthy. The arrest was based on a complaint from the state Congress unit, which alleged that the influencer used insulting abuses and unparliamentary language against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, and other ministers in a video he uploaded.
#4 FIR for Criticizing Rahul Gandhi
On 7 July 2024, the Cyber-Crime wing of Hyderabad police registered an FIR against social media influencer Raushan Sinha (@MrSinha_). The complaint was lodged by advocate Eera Venkat Naik, who alleged that Sinha was spreading fake news linked to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s speech in Parliament on June 1. The complainant asserted that Gandhi never made derogatory statements against Hindus and accused the influencer of intentionally provoking the community for political gain, leading to legal action for the social media posts.
#5 Journalist Booked for Civic Complaint
On 19 June 2024, journalist Revathi was booked by the Telangana state government after she raised a civic issue regarding a power failure in Hyderabad. An official, M Dileep, filed the FIR, asserting that her complaint was a false allegation that intentionally defamed the state government and the power utility. He requested action against the journalist for spreading “false propaganda” and making the incident viral on social media, illustrating the potential legal repercussions for publicly criticizing basic government services.
#6 YouTuber Ajeet Bharti Booked in Bengaluru
On 16 June 2024, Bengaluru’s High Grounds police booked YouTuber Ajeet Bharti based on a complaint from BK Bopanna, a secretary of the Karnataka Congress’s legal cell. The FIR accused Bharti of “spreading enmity between religious groups through false claims.” The complaint specifically cited a video where Bharti allegedly claimed Rahul Gandhi intended to rebuild the Babri Masjid in place of the Ram Mandir, a statement the complainant denied Gandhi ever made, leading to charges for the social media content.
#7 Arrest of ‘Bhiku Mhatre’ X Handle
On 18 May 2024, Karnataka police registered an FIR against Vinit Naik, who operated the X account ‘Bhiku Mhatre’ (@MumbaichaDon). A Congress party worker complained that Naik posted a message against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah that could create enmity between communities. Naik had shared a video of the CM’s speech, claiming the Congress wanted to redistribute wealth from Hindus to Muslims. The cybercrime police subsequently arrested Vinit Naik from his residence in Goa, highlighting the interstate reach of such cybercrime investigations.
#8 Youth Congress Complaint Against Influencers
On 26 April 2024, leaders of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) filed a police complaint at a Hyderabad Cyber Crime station against three social media influencers: Rishi Bagree, Arun Pudur, and Ajeet Bharti. They alleged that the influencers morphed and circulated an edited video of Rahul Gandhi’s speech from a rally in Telangana. The complaint stated that following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks, the edited video of Gandhi was widely shared and was later fact-checked and identified as manipulated content.
#9 Case for Morphed Picture of Karnataka CM
On 12 January 2024, Bengaluru’s High Grounds police registered a case against two Instagram account holders, ‘troll_kannadiga_1’ and Kritika Kriti. The FIR was based on a complaint by Sajay Yadav, secretary of the KPCC Legal Cell, who alleged the accounts posted a morphed picture of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with abusive comments. The charges included promoting enmity between different groups and circulating false statements with intent to cause social unrest, demonstrating action against perceived personal attacks on a chief minister.
#10 FIR Against TV Anchor Sudhir Chaudhary
On 11 September 2023, Karnataka police registered an FIR against TV anchor Sudhir Chaudhary at Seshadripuram Police Station. The complaint, filed by a Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation official, accused Chaudhary of “conspiring to disrupt communal harmony and spreading misinformation” in a show on Aaj Tak. The show had discussed the state government’s commercial vehicle subsidy scheme for minority communities. He was booked under IPC sections for promoting enmity between groups, showcasing legal action against mainstream media commentary on government policies.
#11 Complaint Against Zee Hindustan Anchor
On 1 July 2022, the Congress party filed a police complaint in Jaipur, Rajasthan, against Zee Hindustan anchor Rohit Ranjan. A Congress activist alleged that Ranjan ran a doctored video of Rahul Gandhi. Although the channel later withdrew the content and issued a public apology, an FIR was filed at the Bani Park police station. The news report had presented Gandhi’s comments on SFI brutality in Kerala as condoning the killers of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur, leading to charges under IPC sections 504 and 505.
#12 West Bengal Congress FIR in 2020
On 1 December 2020, the West Bengal Congress filed an FIR in Kolkata against social media influencer Rishi Bagree. The complaint pertained to a Tweet from November 29, 2020, about the ongoing farmer’s protests. Congress accused Bagree of trying to incite the public with a ‘provocative’ Tweet and intentionally insulting Congress President Sonia Gandhi. The FIR stated his actions were intended to break public peace and cause riots and included the charge of intimidation through his social media account.
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