Khammam: Scores of journalists staged a black-flag protest at the ZP Centre in Khammam on Monday, condemning what they called “unlawful and retaliatory” police cases filed against media personnel for performing their professional duties.

The demonstration was organised under the joint aegis of the Telangana Union of Working Journalists (TUWJ) and Telangana Journalists Forum (TJF). Journalists from across the district gathered in large numbers near the Ambedkar statue at the Zilla Parishad Centre, raising slogans against the government and demanding immediate withdrawal of the alleged false FIRs. The protest was sparked by the registration of a police case against Sambasiva Rao, District Bureau Chief of a prominent news channel, and Nagaraju, the channel’s cameraman. The FIR was reportedly filed after the journalists covered a story highlighting a shortage of urea fertilizer, questioning the government.

Addressing the gathering, TUWJ and IJU leaders lambasted the government for misusing police machinery to target journalists. “Is it a crime to question the government on behalf of the people?” asked K Rama Narayana, TUWJ-IJU State General Secretary. He was joined by TJF District President AAdinarayana, IJU District President Enugu Venkateshwar Rao, and TJF District General Secretary Chirra Ravi, who demanded the immediate withdrawal of the FIRs.

They alleged that the case was filed with malicious intent and that the government was attempting to silence the media through intimidation. “The freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution is being trampled. Journalists have every right to question those in power—regardless of which party is in government,” said IJU leaders. The protesters claimed that the FIR involved false accusations involving a farmer from an SC community, allegedly used as a tool to frame the journalists. “This is not just an attack on two journalists; it is an attack on press freedom,” the leaders said. The protest march culminated in a sit-in at the Ambedkar Centre. Journalists from various print, electronic, and digital media platforms took part in solidarity. Senior IJU leaders including Mateti Venugopal (State Committee Member), Narvaneni Venkat Rao (State Council Member), and several others joined the demonstration and addressed the gathering, denouncing the targeting of media personnel as unconstitutional.

Waving black flags, journalists marched through the main road to Ambedkar Centre before staging a dharna. The air rang with slogans in support of press freedom and against government suppression. Several city-based and district-level journalist associations, media houses, and freelance reporters took part in the protest.

Among those present were TUWJ-TJF District Vice Presidents Bollam Srinivas, Vanam Nagayya, Prashanth Reddy, Shetty Rajanikanth, and leaders participated in the protest.